Water and Blood
by Stratagem
Summary: Prince Lotor is not like his father. He doesn't want a fight; instead he seeks out weaknesses and strikes at vulnerabilities. In a plan meant to bring the paladins under control, he kidnaps Lance and Hunk's younger siblings and locates Dr. Holt in his work camp. With hostages, he plans to drive Voltron to its knees. Bad move, dude. Really, really bad move.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron!

A/N: Okay, sooo, I obviously really love family-based fics, and I just really wanted to write about the paladins and some of their family members. So here's a lot of heroism and angst and rescuing and danger and adventure. Also, Lotor in my mind is beautiful and awful and the Best at being the Worst.

* * *

 **Water and Blood**

Prologue

"My prince, it is done."

"That only took an age."

"It required careful planning, your majesty, but your wait has not been in vain."

A lengthy, purposefully intimidating silence filled the cavernous throne room. "I do believe that is for me to decide." Thin, long fingers reluctantly loosened their grip on the goblet of Elatran wine as Lotor passed it off to a servant. His quarry was finally here, and he needed to examine what had been brought to him.

Descending from the dais, he walked toward Commander Yare, his hands clasped behind his back. "Show them to me, Yare."

"Of course, your majesty."

Lotor had waited too long for this moment, the one that marked the beginning of the downfall of the Voltron paladins. Where his father had failed, he would most certainly succeed.

His father had been far too blindly obsessed with a single lion, which had led to his destruction. Yes, he had said that Voltron was his aim, that capturing the entire robotic warrior was the main objective, but that was a lie. Lotor knew that deep down Zarkon had simply wanted the Black Lion back again.

Foolishness. Honestly, Father. Pathetic.

Voltron itself had to be the true goal. It was indeed the greatest weapon in the universe, and as long as it and its ridiculous paladins continued to frolic, wreak havoc, and romp about out from under Galran control, the Empire would never gain total dominance in the universe. In order to secure Voltron, the easiest way was to attack its paladins where it would most hurt them.

After he had been sought out by Haggar, Lotor had turned his attention to the paladins. He had gathered an intelligence team whose only purpose was to complete files on each of the paladins, as well as the human race and their puny Earth in general. Honestly, it was a horrid backwater of a planet, hardly developed and not worth the Galran Empire's time. However, it did seem to be a breeding place for formidable, if annoying, warriors, which had given Lotor an idea.

Time passed, which allowed the paladins to begin believing that there would be no retribution for their previous actions. They could only remain on high alert for so long, so let he let them have a few victories, lulling them into a sense of invincibility. He had heard that they had even recovered their original black paladin, which he supposed allowed that silly Altean girl to go back to her castle and play princess.

A handful of liberated star systems meant very little to him, especially when he was busy playing the long game.

Through consuming human media and analyzing their various cultures, he and his team had discovered the most important human weakness. With it, he could crush the paladins one by one. If he could secure one lion without fail, the rest would follow. His plan would certainly deliver at least three lions into his hand with one relatively simple maneuver and most likely bring the rest with them.

"Did they behave themselves on the way?" Lotor asked as he and Commander Yare made their way to the prison deck. "I've heard they can be troublesome creatures."

"The younger male bit me," Commander Yare said, "The medics said they don't carry any diseases that could affect us."

Lotor laughed. "Ah, so they're spirited. What luck." It made it more interesting, at least. He had learned a great deal about how humans saw themselves and what they valued. They wanted to perceived as be heroic and brave and selfless and helpful. This scenario would allow the paladins to be all those things. It would be too tempting for them to refuse, and the urgency would be so compelling. This would not fail. "Did you bring the old one to care for them as I asked?"

"Yes, the intelligence team sent him over when we arrived," Commander Yare said, "Although even with his augments, I'm not sure how long he will last. I'm surprised he survived the work camp as long as he did."

"Humans are moronically resilient." Lotor waved a hand in the air, brushing away his concern. When he did not receive a positive response or any acknowledgement, he glanced over at the commander. "You look less than pleased."

The commander jerked his head up and assumed blander expression. "I was simply questioning the human rationale for placing so much value on such frail things."

"Mmm, the Galran Empire was not so different until a few centuries ago," Lotor said, "Then of course we began the process of raising our children in learning facilities, which ensures that we do not have the same weakness as humans."

They stepped out of a lift and onto one of the floors of the prison deck. Galran sentries lined the corridor as Commander Yare led the way to the cell at the end of the hall. Lotor could not keep from smiling as he spotted his newest weapons.

The old man was a long-term prisoner retrieved from the Sala Prime work camp soon after they formed the human intelligence team and realized his connection to the green paladin. He stood in front of the other three acquisitions, shielding them the best he could even though it was so futile. See?

Children made humans weak.

"This is cruel, even for you," the man said.

Was that supposed to make him feel guilty? Lotor put a hand on the glass and leaned forward, curious. "Move aside."

"No."

Lotor sighed and gave Commander Yare a long-suffering look. The commander tapped a button on the control pad on his weapon, and Dr. Holt went rigid as his prison collar sent electricity surging through his body. He crumpled to the floor, revealing the three human children he had been hiding.

One stood in front of the others, a grubby little urchin with light brown hair, blue eyes, and brown skin. Ugh, he looked just like the human who piloted the blue lion. His hands were clenched into fists as if he could actually fight anyone. "Let us go, you grape cool-aid looking freak!"

Lotor frowned at him before looking at the next one. A taller male child, this one had darker skin, black hair, and dark brown eyes. Yellow's brother. The boy met his eyes and glared at him for a few seconds before being forced to look away.

The last one was a tiny little female with lightly tanned skin, dark brown hair, and big blue eyes. They were leaking water, which was an incredibly disgusting human activity.

Lotor tilted his head to the side and then turned to Commander Yare. "Excellent. Prepare them for training. It's time to find out if humans can become the viable military resource we've been seeking."

Starting with the paladins' younger siblings.

Family was such a wonderfully easy weakness to attack.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron!

A/N: Family RULES! And the paladins are a force to be reckoned with on their own, so yeah, Lotor made a mistake.

* * *

Chapter 1

"Now this is how you throw a party," Lance said, "They even have alien limbo!"

"Super dangerous alien limbo. The limbo stick is on fire," Hunk said.

Lance waved off his friend's concern. "Eh, details."

The citizens of Wex were ecstatic now that they were finally out from under the thumb of the Galra Empire, and they were throwing a massive celebration. The Galra had been using the planet as a mining plant, pulling up useful ores from the planet's surface. With their resources dwindling, the planet had put out a distress call, and Voltron had responded.

"Their food is so spicy," Pidge said, "I think it's burning a hole in my tongue." She was sitting cross-legged on the edge of a table with a laptop, apparently hacking and destroying the Galra's control of the universe's version of the Internet so Wex would be off the regular grid. Beside her was a barely-touched plate of food and six empty glasses of water.

"Well, they are fire-proof, so I guess it makes sense?" Hunk said, "And I think it's delicious. We're going to have to take some of this spice back with us."

Lance flopped back onto the comfy chair the Wex had provided, his long legs draped over one of the chair's arms. They had been partying since that early that morning, and the Wex seemed to have no intention of stopping.

Keith had slunk off at some point, probably to go inspect the locals' weapons collection or something. Coran was off in a corner with a bunch of Wex, telling them stories about Altea, while Allura and Shiro had literally been dragged away to dance. Lance could see them with some of the locals, and it looked like both of them were easily picking up the locals' dance style. Oooo, Shiro could dance? Paladin Dance-Off was going to have to be a thing.

"Do you think they'll build a Voltron statue?" Lance asked teasingly. He took a long sip of a Wex drink, enjoying the slightly hot bite that the otherwise cold drink had. It was pretty damn delicious.

"Sure, right in the middle of every major city, they'll build a giant Voltron statue," Pidge mumbled, not looking up from her laptop screen, "Actually, they'll just build statues of you, Lance."

"Because they have taste and know great beauty when they see it."

"No, because they know your face is so scary everyone will see it and run the hell away. Safest planet ever."

Lance picked up a pillow and flung it at Pidge's head. She promptly caught it and hurled it right back, which required a response from Lance. Soon they were hurling pillows back and forth in an outright pillow battle, with Hunk dodging and avoiding the pillows in-between them.

"Can you—Let me—Move?!" he asked before a pillow smacked him upside the head. He picked it up from the ground and chunked it at Lance, joining the fight.

A rogue pillow shot out of Pidge's hand, and Keith barely ducked to avoid it as he stepped into the pavilion. He raised an eyebrow at his teammates, apparently trying to figure out if he should leave again. They all turned on him, eyes gleaming, and suddenly he was being pelted with pillows. There were just too many to avoid, and he had to take cover behind a short couch.

"Hey! I didn't do anything," he said as he peeked over the back of the couch.

"You exist," Pidge offered before she grinned and flung another pillow at him.

"That doesn't make any sense…"

After a few more minutes of torturing Keith, they all called a truce and let him come out from behind the couch. They were lounging around and talking about one of their recent Voltron battles when one of the Wex leaders, Tyr, appeared at the edge of the pavilion with Shiro, Allura and Coran. Their serious expressions made the younger paladins straighten up.

"Um, I'd just like to say that pillow fights are an old Earth custom, and we didn't mean any harm, and plus we didn't break anything," Hunk said, guessing that they were about to get in trouble with the Wex or something.

"Tyr says he has something to show us," Shiro said as he walked over and stood near Pidge, folding his arms. The somewhat carefree smile he had been wearing earlier was gone, replaced by one of his Intense-Shiro expressions.

"Rebels have secured and released secret video of the Galra's newest crop of gladiators," Tyr said, and the buoyant mood was immediately crushed. Keith looked over at Shiro, concerned, but Shiro didn't meet his eyes.

"I believe that some of the Galra's new recruits are from Earth," Tyr continued as he turned toward Pidge. "May I see your device? The video is on the unrestricted space-net."

"Yeah," Pidge said, shaking her head to rouse herself from the shock. More people from Earth had been taken by the Galra? She peered over Tyr's shoulder as he swiftly brought up a vid and then used the hologram projector on the laptop to throw the image onto the wall of the pavilion.

"Shiro, are you sure you want to watch this?" Keith asked him quietly.

Shiro gave a sharp, quick nod and took a deep breath, steeling himself. "We have to know. If the Galra have taken more humans, we'll have to rescue them."

"But that doesn't mean you have—"

"Keith. I'll be fine."

Keith looked unconvinced, but he leaned against a pillar of the pavilion and watched the vid. There were shaky, patched-together images of a large facility. There were Galra guards and trainers, but the prisoners…

"They're little kids," Lance said angrily, "Why are the Galra training kids?"

The prisoners that were being forced to run through an obstacle courses were children from a variety of planets. There were multi-armed aliens like Slav, a few with green skin, another with pink dragonfly wings and purple scales.

"The Galra have been looking for a way to increase their military power without relying on actual Galra soldiers," Tyr said, "The commander who was stationed here thought about sending our people to the facility. He didn't think our species was a good fit for the program. We're not versatile enough. The gladiator system lets them pit the prowess of different species against each other. It's a testing ground."

"Back there!" Pidge yelled and pointed toward the image. "Do you guys see them?"

"See what?" Hunk asked, squinting at the hologram.

She paused it and gestured toward the upper righthand corner of the image. "Right there. I think they're human. It looks like there are three of them."

"Keep playing the vid," Tyr said, "They appear closer soon."

The video ran on, and the three human children arrived at the portion of the course that was closest to the recording device.

Lance took a step toward the hologram. "Oh my God." The color had drained from his face, and he brought a hand up to cover his mouth.

"Pidge, zoom in," Hunk demanded, thundering up behind Pidge.

She was shaking, her fingers trembling on the keyboard. "Okay, hold on—"

The image enlarged and the pixels blurred for a moment before clearing up. There were two human boys and a little girl. It looked like the girl didn't want to go through the part of the course they had reached. Thick, whirling beams swung through the space at random, testing agility. The girl clung to the shorter of the two boys until a Galra trainer came over and pulled them apart. He tossed the boy into the course and picked up the girl, tucking her under his arm while she screamed and kicked. The other boy raced after the first, reaching him after only getting hit once by a beam and hauling him to his feet.

All five paladins recognized those particular three children. They had spent enough time in each others' head space at that point to know what everyone's families looked like. The young boy and girl were Theo and Josie, Lance's little siblings, while the older boy was Hunk's younger brother Isaia.

"Guys…" Shiro said, looking at Hunk and Lance. They were standing in front of the hologram, rigid and unmoving.

Lance turned toward Hunk, enraged tears in his eyes. "Come on. We're going to get them. Right now."

"Yeah," Hunk said, his huge hands curling into fists. The look on his face was dangerously determined. " _Hell_ yeah."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!

* * *

Chapter 3

"Wait, hold on, you guys don't even know where you're going," Pidge said, dropping the laptop on the table and jumping down as Hunk and Lance headed out of the pavilion. The other paladins followed them while Allura and Coran stayed behind to grill Tyr for more information. "You don't know where they're being held or when that video was made or anything."

"We'll just attack every Galra ship until we find them," Hunk said. His normally warm, gentle eyes were hard and unyielding.

"That could take years! There are thousands of Galra battleships," Keith said, feeling like their positions had somehow switched. Normally Hunk was the voice of reason while Keith was ready to leap into danger. This felt weird and wrong.

"That's not that many," Lance snarled.

"Pidge is right," Shiro said, sounding sympathetic but way too calm and levelheaded, "We have to come up with a plan and address this as a team." He reached out and caught Lance's upper arm, trying to slow him down. "Lance..."

Lance whirled around and smacked Shiro's hand away. "Get off, Shiro!" He pointed a finger in Shiro's face, but the older man didn't move. His expression looked as if he wanted to fix everything for Lance and Hunk, but Lance wasn't having any of it right now. "If you try and give us a speech about teamwork right now, I swear I'll kick you. Hard."

"Lance, calm down," Keith said, which was a terrible choice of words.

"What?" Lance said, stepping toward the red paladin, "Did you just see your little brother and sister being tortured? Did you see your brother get tossed by a Galra and your baby sister screaming? No?" Lance shoved him in the chest, and Keith took it, not trying to stop him. "Don't try and tell me to calm down, you condescending asshole."

"I didn't—I'm not saying that you shouldn't be—" Keith let out a growl, not knowing exactly what he wanted to say and not wanting to make it worse. "Just listen to us for one damn minute!"

Pidge darted in front of Hunk and stood with her feet apart, like she could somehow stop him. "Hunk, please," she said, facing him down, "If you rush into this, you could give away that you know and then they might move them or something. You might never find them."

Hunk stopped when he reached Pidge. Then he grabbed her by the arms, lifted her into the air, and gently but firmly put her down to the side. He bent down, looking her in the eyes. "I'd think you'd understand where we're coming from, Pidge."

Pidge flinched as if he had slapped her. "I do! You know I do!"

"Then quit trying to stop us."

"But you have no idea where you're supposed to go!" Pidge said. She grabbed the back of Hunk's shirt as he turned around. "You'll waste a lot of time, and while you're doing that, they'll have your brother the whole time. I know you guys are upset, and you have every single right to be, but you need information and a strategy." She tugged on Hunk's shirt again and then realized he had stopped, his shoulders dropping as he bowed his head. Gently, she put a hand on his back. "I do know how you feel right now. I know what this feels like, and I'm _so_ sorry."

"You got your brother back," Lance snapped, turning on Pidge. "Let us go get our siblings back, too."

"That's exactly what I want to do," Pidge said, "Shiro and Keith do too. You have to let us help, Lance."

"Yeah, man. We're here for you guys," Keith said, taking a cautious step toward Hunk.

Lance turned away and grabbed the back of his head, pulling his arms forward so his face was covered. He looked like he was in so much pain. A sob broke the uneasy silence. Shiro reached out, grabbing Lance and pulling him in for a rough, engulfing hug, his hand on the back of his head.

"They're just so little," Lance said through his tears. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to stop crying. "Josie's only six, and she's so tiny…"

"We're going to get them, Lance," Shiro said, "I swear."

Pidge hugged Hunk from behind as his shoulders shook. The big guy shuddered and then sat down on the ground, burying his face in his hands. Keith rested a hand on his shoulder while Pidge hugged him around the neck, burying her face in his hair to hide her empathetic tears.

* * *

 _On Lotor's Ship_

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"He'll be all right, don't worry."

"Man, your nose looks like a smashed tomato."

"You're the one who broke it!" Theo was sitting cross-legged on his cot, doing his best to not wince or whine while Sam gently wiped the dried blood off his nose and mouth. He did, however, shoot Isaia a glare.

The older boy held up his hands. "You should've ducked. I told you I was going to swing as hard as I could!"

"You swung late."

"You ducked the wrong way."

"Boys, if you could stop arguing for a few minutes, at least until I get Theo cleaned up, I would appreciate it."

"Is it real broken?" Josie asked quietly. She was sitting on the end of the cot, kicking her bruised legs back and forth. There was a bandage around her knee that she kept picking at. Sam reached over and tapped her hand gently, reminding her to stop messing with it.

"I don't think so, sweetheart," Sam said, "It's just…red."

"And ugly," Theo said, making a face.

"It was ugly before it got broke," Isaia said teasingly.

"Your whole face is ugly. Like a horse's butt. You have a horse butt face."

"All right, rotten tomato nose."

For a long moment, the two of them scowled at each other, then they both started laughing. Josie and Sam shared a look that said patience-is-a-virtue, and Sam swiped the cloth over Theo's nose one more time.

"You're done," he said, standing up and dropping the cloth into a basin. He stretched and shoved down the overwhelming feeling of despair. If the kids could still manage to laugh and play a little, he could at least try to stay optimistic. Though it was hard when his current job was bandaging them up whenever they came back from the training rooms.

How much longer could they keep smiling? When would the Galra finally beat it out of them? Kids were resilient, but even so, it couldn't last, and they had already been here a few weeks. Sam rubbed his aching arm and closed his eyes.

He wasn't sure how much longer _he_ could last.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!

A/N: Back to the Castle to plan! This chapter is Lance-focused with a half cup of Coran but the next chapter belongs to Hunk!

* * *

Chapter 4

"Can I see?"

Lance almost didn't hear Coran through the headphones. He looked up from his spot on his back on the floor and saw the orange-haired Altean hovering over him. He had thought that he was tucked away somewhere the others wouldn't find him, on one of the many unused floors of the castle. Lance actually wasn't entirely sure where he was…

"Um…" He sat up and pulled off Pidge's headphones, letting them hang around his neck. Did he still want to be alone? He wasn't sure. When Pidge had very kindly but firmly asked him and Hunk to stop hovering while she worked on decoding information from the vid, he had started wandering. Once he got tired, he stopped, which was how he wound up wherever he was.

No, he didn't really want to be alone.

"Or I can just sit here." Coran plopped down against the wall, his hands going around one knee. "Sitting here is good too."

For a few minutes, the two of them simply sat in quiet companionship, the only sounds coming from Pidge's headphones since Lance hadn't turned his video off. In his hand, vids were playing on his cell phone. Pidge had found a way to power the cells a long time ago, so they could at least look at old pictures and listen to downloaded music, even if they were otherwise useless pieces of old Earth junk.

To Lance, that cell was a link back to his life back on Earth. He had let the Alteans listen to his music, but he hadn't really shown them many pictures or videos. Or any really.

One vid that he had watched a hundred times since launching into space started playing, and Lance scooted back until he was sitting right beside Coran. He pulled the headphone cord out of the phone so Coran could hear and held the cell between them.

On the screen, Josie and Theo were making faces at the camera, obviously thinking they were taking pictures instead of recording. Josie put her hands on either side of her face and pursed her lips, blubbing like a fish, while Theo dragged his eyelids down and stuck his tongue out. Lance could remember taking that video while snickering to himself. Occasionally his muffled laughter was audible on the video.

"Did you take it yet?" Theo asked, "My eyes are getting dry."

"I'm a goldfishy," Josie said, waving her hands back and forth against her cheeks. "See?"

"These are great," said Lance's disembodied voice, slightly tinny from the cellphone's unaided speakers, "Yeeep, good pictures."

Theo frowned and leaned over, his head disappearing out of the frame. "You idiot, you're taking video!"

The frame shook as Theo and Lance battled over the cell phone and then the cell phone fell to the ground. It was picked up a moment later by Josie, who turned it toward Lance and Theo wrestling on the patio.

Her giggles were contagious, but Lance couldn't bring himself to smile this time.

The video came to an abrupt stop because Josie had turned the cell off. Lance could remember grabbing her and dragging her over so he could tickle her and Theo until they were gasping with laughter. Or at least until Theo accidentally kicked him in the face, starting a nose bleed and prompting their mother to start yelling at the three of them from an upstairs window. He wished he could remember everything better.

"They're as adorable and energetic as a pair of rendelmarker pups."

Lance leaned his head back against the wall. "How scared do you think they are?"

"I don't think it's going to do you or them any good dwelling on that," Coran said gently.

"I can't stop thinking about it." Lance looped his arms around his legs and drew them to his aching chest. "You heard Josie screaming right?" He was never going to get that sound out of his head. Josie, his _pajarita_ , sweet and quirky and gentle and loving. _Screaming_.

"Lance…"

"And Theo's going to say the wrong thing to the wrong Galra and—" He couldn't finish that sentence, and he closed his eyes against the brutal, unwanted mental image. Theo was feisty and smart-mouthed and headstrong. There was no way he would be a quiet, compliant prisoner.

And the Galra were unforgiving.

His brother and sister were small and breakable and alone. They had no idea that anyone was coming for them. They probably thought he was dead, and even if they didn't, there was no way they could imagine that he was going to come for them, that he would do anything to get them back.

"Breathe." Coran's hand rested on his back, rubbing circles, and Lance gulped in a deep breath, filling his burning lungs. He hadn't realized that he was holding his breath. He was just so…angry and upset and frustrated.

"It's my fault the Galra took them, isn't it?"

Coran looked at him solemnly. "The Galra's actions aren't your fault."

"Coran."

The Altean sighed. "It _isn't_ your fault. But yes, they were most likely taken to hurt you and lure you in. Which is why we must be careful."

"I don't care about being careful," Lance spat, leaning into his anger instead of his sadness. "I just want them back." He looked down his cell phone, turning it over in his hands. "Do you think they have the rest of my family? Or Hunk's?"

"Most likely not," Coran said after a contemplative moment. Lance was glad he didn't answer immediately, since it meant he actually thought about it. "The Galra probably think that taking the little ones was enough and left the others. It'd be easier, honestly, to take fewer prisoners. Though…I don't say this to worry you, but it does mean that they know where your home is."

"Yeah, I guessed that." Lance banged his head back against the wall. He was putting his family in danger by being out here playing space ranger extraordinaire. He should've found a way to get home ages ago. But he was helping the universe. He was doing something good. But was doing the right thing worth losing his family? He wanted to save the universe and his family, and he was going to have to figure out how to do that and quick. He tried to bang his head against the wall again, but instead he hit something soft.

"Ow." Coran pulled his hand away and gave it a shake. "Could you not do that anymore? It's hurting my head watching you do that, so I imagine it doesn't feel very nice."

"Right…sorry."

Silence dropped, but it wasn't weird or annoying. It was Coran who broke it this time.

"I had two younger brothers."

"Huh?" Lance lifted his head from where he had been resting his chin on his knees and looked at Coran.

The orange-haired Altean was a faraway look on his face, and all ten thousand plus years of existence bent his shoulders. "One was a healer. The other was a pilot in the Altean Galactic Corps." Violet eyes darkened. "I know a little of what you're feeling. Things happened to them because of my position…" Coran sighed. "It's easy to blame yourself is what I'm trying to say, but you can't take the blame for something others have done. Especially when it comes to the treachery of the Galra."

"But this wouldn't have happened—"

"If you weren't the Blue Paladin?" Coran said, raising an eyebrow. "No, perhaps not. But you are the only one in the universe fit to be the Blue Paladin, and as the Blue Paladin, you also have every tool and skill and connection available to take them back and make those quiznaking Galra pay for it."

Lance wasn't sure if he believed all that about being the only one capable of flying Blue, but he could tell Coran did. For his friend, he forced a weak smile. "That was a good pep talk."

"Back on Altea, I was a part time inspirational speech-giver in the lower presentational courts!" He leaned over and pointed at Lance's cell phone. "Now, if you don't mind, show me some more holos on that little device of yours?"

"Really? Okay…"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!

A/N: Everyone needs to hug Hunk, okay. He needs all the hugs right now.

* * *

Chapter 5

"Here, taste this." Hunk handed a spoon across the kitchen island to Keith, who obediently took it. To his credit, he didn't even hesitate before popping it into his mouth. After a moment, Keith nodded, which was a good sign to Hunk.

"It's good."

Hunk grabbed another spoon and dipped it into the cookie batter before tasting it himself. "Needs something..."

Tossing the spoon into the sink, he turned and started hunting through the cabinets. His movements were jerkier than usual, and instead of going to exact cabinet he needed, he kept getting off track and opening the wrong ones. It was probably because his thoughts kept drifting away from cookies and to the clenched teeth determination that Isaia had worn on his face in that vid, with blood dripping down his leg. Had anyone else seen that? Maybe only he had.

His brother, only ten years old… He should be at home, playing with their family's dog or riding his bike or goofing off with his friends. Instead, he was trapped on an alien spaceship, forced to fight just because Hunk happened to be an enemy of an evil universe-spanning empire.

For a moment, Hunk paused, taking a deep breath and steadying his shaking hands. Okay, okay. Focus. Don't think too much. Bake.

This was his third recipe since Pidge had started working on mining information from the video. While Lance had taken off to wander the halls, Hunk had retreated to the kitchen. He had considered going to Yellow's hangar and hanging out, but he had needed a distraction. If he just sat in the hangar with Yellow, he knew he would start bawling again and he just…didn't want to cry anymore.

He had been a little surprised when Keith showed up in the kitchen. He could tell that Keith was trying to figure out something to say to make him feel better, but he couldn't quite find the words. It was sweet, really. So Hunk decided to turn the red paladin into his personal taste tester. It kept Hunk occupied so he didn't get swept away by anxiety and his fear for his brother, and hopefully it made Keith feel useful at the same time.

Finally finding the ingredient he wanted, Hunk shook out a bit in his hand and then sprinkled it onto the batter. It was a bright blue spice, and he hoped it would make the cookie taste like snickerdoodles, Lance's favorite. His buddy needed something warm and homey, too. Cooking in space was a science, especially if you wanted to recreate tastes from Earth, and he liked the time and attention to detail that it took. It was a lot like engineering, actually.

Keith's eyebrows climbed up his forehead as the cookie batter turned from a warm pink to a dark violet.

Hunk gave him a half-smile. "It tastes better than it looks."

Keith nodded and tapped his fingers against the countertop. "Hunk? You sure you want to be baking right now? You know you don't have to… No one expects you to."

"I know," Hunk said. He turned around and opened a cabinet, pulling out a pan. Setting it on the counter, he picked up a non-stick spray he had created months ago and doused the pan. He glanced up at Keith. "Did I ever tell you what my family does back on Earth?"

"No," Keith said, looking down. Most of the time, they didn't talk about their families, anyways, but Lance, Hunk, and Pidge really tried to avoid talking about them around Keith. The three of them didn't want to keep reminding Keith that he didn't really have anyone to go home to.

But maybe that wasn't fair, either, keeping that kind of thing from him. Maybe he needed to hear about their families.

"We own a restaurant," he said, spooning out globules of cookie batter onto the pan, "My cousins help out, and my parents run the place. Whenever I'm home, I work there too. We cook just about anything, but my mom's the best at pasta."

His eyes stung at the happy memories that popped up. Sitting in the kitchen while his mom made dough, running through the dining area while his dog chased after him and his dad yelled, playing on the tire swing out behind the restaurant, eating homemade ice cream on the restaurant's porch. Sure, there had been hard times too, but the good memories were easier to recall.

His parents had halfway raised him and his brothers at the restaurant, and he had grown up cooking and fixing kitchen appliances, trying to do his part to help his mom and dad. They had been so happy when he had gotten into the Garrison as an engineering student, they had thrown a massive party. So many people had come that it spilled out of the restaurant and into the yard.

There was so much laughter and love in his home...

Hunk dolloped out the last bit of cookie dough and turned toward the stove. Damn, he had forgot to turn it down. Luckily, this Altean high-tech oven worked fast. He would have to wait a minute though as it cooled. Putting the pan down on the stove top, he turned around and leaned against the counter, looking at Keith. "Cooking reminds me of home. It makes me feel closer to my family, so I guess that's why I'm in here so much. It's why I want to be in here now, you know?"

He blinked away the threatening tears and looked down at his hands. Big, strong hands. They were supposed to be the hands of a warrior, someone who could save the universe. That's what people wanted him to be, what was expected. Right now his hands were covered in flour and useless. He would give up all of his strength if he could just save Isaia.

"Hunk. We're going to get your brother back. I promise."

The oven dinged. Hunk picked up the pan and stuck it on the racks, situating it just so. He knew Keith was right. They would get back Isaia and Theo and Josie, but what would happen in the meantime? He clenched the edge of the counter and nodded slowly, agreeing with Keith.

Okay, breathe. On to the next recipe. Stay busy and don't let your mind wander. Words to live by right now.

* * *

 _On Lotor's Ship_

Sam had finally negotiated a rest day for the kids, though it had taken Isaia getting a concussion to secure one. The boy had been unconscious when he was carried back to their cell by one of the Galra, a hysterical Josie and worried Theo in tow. Sam had spent the whole night checking on him, waking him up periodically and trying to remember how to properly treat a concussion. He was scientist, not a medical doctor.

The trainers had agreed to let the kids have the day off after Sam had said putting them back out on the training grounds could kill Isaia. He had managed to get the same treatment for other two by explaining that they were younger and needed a break or they would get sick.

All three of them had slept most of the day, laying around the cell, exhausted. They had been in training almost since they had arrived. Apparently the Galra used these particular training grounds to raise new gladiators and figure out which alien species produced good fighters; they were also now looking for a new military source. Training children and pitting them against each other helped the Galra figure out which species were more ruthless, or so they said.

Apparently humans were a possibility for the new military source, though it didn't make much sense to Sam for the Galra to only bring three children to test the theory. By eavesdropping, he had figured out that there had been a previous adult human gladiator who had been practically invincible in the matches. Had that been Matt? Or Shiro? Where were they now?

At some point during the day, all three kids were awake at once. Isaia and Theo were sitting on the floor, facing each other and playing slaps. One kid would let his hands hover over the other's palms-up hands, and then whoever had their hands palms-up attempted to slap the hovering hands.

Sam smiled a little. "My kids used to play that game."

"You have kids?" Josie asked. She was perched at the end of her bed, sitting cross-legged, and now she was watching him with her bright blue eyes.

"Their names are Matt and Katie," he said softly. He had to believe that Matt was alive, even if the Galra still had him. After all, he was still alive, and Matt was younger and had more life in him. He was all right. He had to be. And Katie was back on Earth, safe. It was still safe there, right? The kids hadn't talked about the Galra invading or anything.

"What're they like?" Josie asked. She slid off the bed and walked over to sit in front of him on the floor, favoring her right leg. Her ankle had been twisted earlier that week, and it was still healing.

"Katie is brilliant. She's clever and stubborn, and she can do practically anything with a computer," Sam said, smiling at fond memories of his daughter. "And sassy. Very sassy." He loved that about her. He noticed that Isaia and Theo were listening, and he wondered why they hadn't all talked about their families earlier. Actually, there hadn't been any time. Whenever they were all in the cell, he was busying patching up wounds and soothing fears, and as far as he could tell, the three of them already knew each other. This was the first chance they had gotten to talk. "Matt…Matt practically has a computer for a brain. He's always thinking of scenarios and planning. He was a science student at the Garrison." Oh, right, they probably didn't know what—

"Me and Theo's brother is a pilot at the Garrison," Josie exclaimed proudly, "His name is Lance. And Isaia's brother Hunk is an engineer."

Theo's eyes darkened. "Look, stop it. Lance isn't—"

"Don't, Theo," Isaia said, his eyes on Josie. The two boys glared at each other. Sam stared at the three of them, shocked. They had siblings who were at the Garrison? Maybe the Galra were attacking Garrison members and their families. Were Katie and Colleen okay? His heart ached for his torn family, and he prayed that they were all right.

"Mr. Sam, do you wanna play slaps with us?" Isaia said, abruptly switching the subject. He glanced at Josie and walked over to Sam, an insistent look in his eyes. It seemed like he didn't want to talk about families any more.

Later, when Josie had nodded off again, Isaia and Theo sat down on either side of Sam. Isaia plucked at the bandage that was wrapped around his head and glanced at Theo. "Tell him. You wanted to earlier, so you can tell him."

"Tell me what?" Sam asked, trying to stay calm. He looked over at Theo, and he was surprised to see the boy's face growing red. "Theo?"

"Lance is dead," Theo said shortly, his fingers threading together in his lap, "He was in a training accident with his training crew at the Garrison about a year ago, and he's dead. Hunk was a part of it too. They're both dead."

"Oh…" Poor kids.

"Theo gets sort of upset because Josie won't say that Lance is gone," Isaia said. His shoulders were hunched forward, and he picked at a threadbare spot on one of his knees. "She's…having a hard time with it. We don't talk about it anymore."

"It's 'cause she was his favorite," Theo spat, "Mom and Dad sent her to counseling and everything, and she still thinks he's alive 'cause she wants him to be. She needs to grow up."

"She's young," Sam said gently, reaching out to put his hand on Theo's back. "It's hard for her to understand."

"No, it's not," Theo said. His shoulders started to shake, and he roughly dragged his wrist across his eyes. "He's dead. He's not coming back, and she needs to stop acting like he is."

And it probably hurt Theo every time Josie said their brother was still alive. It would be like losing him over and over again.

Sam wrapped his arms around the two boys and pulled them in for a hug, wishing he could take them back home. Because back on Earth, their families probably thought they were gone forever as well. He could imagine that pain because he had spent hours thinking of Colleen and Katie being told that he and Matt had gone MIA. It tore at him, just like it would tear at the families of these children. They needed to go home.

They _all_ needed to go home.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!

A/N: I'm sorry it takes me a little longer to update this story sometimes, it's just really angsty! So yeah, I'm sorrrrrryyy…

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

"Remember when Josie thought we were adopting you?"

"Yeah, Isaia was so mad. He thought your family was trying to steal me."

"Did you know she called you Hunk McClain for about a month? That's how she said your name whenever we talked, it was like how's Hunk McClain, is Hunk McClain there? She was so funny about it…"

Lance sighed, remembering how Josie had been pouty and disappointed when she found out that Hunk was just Lance's roommate and not her new brother. Like she needed any more brothers. He looked up at the ceiling from his spot laying on the floor, his hands laced behind his head and his legs throw up on the couch. One of his legs was touching Hunk, who was sprawled out on his stomach on the couch with his yellow quilt balled up under his chin. Shiro had brought them pillows and blankets, just in case they decided to nap.

Not likely.

The two of them had taken over the rec room while they waited for any kind of news and tried not to go crazy. It was late by ship standards, but neither of them were going to bed any time soon, no matter how drained they were. They were grateful that Pidge felt the same way and was planning on staying up too.

Hunk had brought food while Lance was providing distraction in the form of stories. Not much was new, his best friend already knew most of the good stories about Lance's family, but it felt nice to tell them again. Besides, all either of them could focus on was their families, so Lance thought it would be better to dwell on memories than give into the temptation to lose his mind thinking about what the Galra were doing with his siblings.

"You need to eat more than cookies," Hunk said. Leaning over the side of the couch, he nudged a plate of vegetable-based health bars over toward Lance. "A man cannot exist on sugar alone."

"I think being a paladin gives me different dietary needs," Lance replied, looking away from the veggie bars. He wasn't hungry, but he had managed to eat a couple cookies. He didn't think he could force down one of those veggie bars, no matter how good they were. His appetite was non-existent.

Hunk rolled his eyes, but Lance noticed that he wasn't eating much either. Actually, had he eaten anything since they crashed in the rec room?

Lance tapped his foot against his best friend's leg. "This sucks."

"Understatement of the year, buddy."

"Yeah…" Lance gave a sad laugh. "How about this is a shitstorm of terrible, then."

"That's a little closer to the truth." Hunk's dark brown eyes were unfocused and slowly filling with tears.

A wounded sound escaped Lance. Okay, he could handle a lot of things, but Hunk crying wasn't one of them. He launched himself at his best friend, bear-hugging him and shoving his face into his shoulder. He wanted to be reassuring, he knew he should be, but he also knew that Hunk probably just needed a moment to cry again. It was hard, keeping it together when all you wanted to do was fall apart. So Lance held onto him until Hunk patted his back and then pulled away, wiping at his eyes.

"That's enough of that," Hunk said, blinking rapidly. "Ugh…"

"Sorry," Lance said. He dripped off the couch, back onto the floor, "I shouldn't have said anything."

"You're not psychic, you didn't know that'd set me off." Hunk rubbed his hands over his face and dropped his face into his quilt.

Lance felt emotionally wrung out, but he still wanted to help Hunk. He needed to get his mind off being mentally decimated, even if it was for a moment. "Actually, I've been lying to you this whole time."

Hunk looked up, an eyebrow raised.

"I am psychic," he said solemnly, "Psychic like a kid from a Stephen King movie."

"Those are _so_ old."

"Yes, yes, they are."

A crackling sound made both of them sit up.

"Lance? Hunk?" It was Pidge's voice. "I think I found something. Can you guys get down here—"

Whatever else she was about to say was lost on them as they bolted for the door.

* * *

"My lord, we're being contacted by a scrambled initiator."

Lotor looked up from the battle plans spread across the holotable. "Took them long enough."

The 'rebel insider' video had been released over two weeks ago, and he had been waiting for the fake leak to reach the paladins. He supposed he could have blasted the video over the spacenet, but he wanted it to seem authentic. The footage certainly was real, even if there was no one on the inside that the paladins could contact to help them. A false hope.

Unlike his father, Lotor did not allow infiltrators. That was why everyone aboard his main ship was required to submit to a druid interrogation every month. It was simply routine and no one dared complain as that was an admission of guilt.

He considered his options. As much as he would like to see exactly how agonized the paladins were over the children, it would also be satisfying to ignore the contact. He could leave them dangling over uncertainty for another week or so. However, there was always the chance that something could go amiss the longer he waited.

"Gather all four of the hostages from the training floor and bring them to the throne room," Lotor said, "I will answer the contact there."

"Vrepit sa," the soldier said, bobbing a quick bow before hurrying off to his task.

Lotor swept the battle plans into a folder on the display and shut down the holotable himself. His subordinates occasionally called him paranoid, but he preferred to believe he was taking proper precautions. And those subordinates who voiced those opinions always found themselves on useless planets watching swamps bubble or doing endless inventory on warehouse stations. He would not tolerate insurrection, even in the form of whispered slander.

As he strode into his throne room, his subordinates bowed and saluted him, acknowledging his superiority. He took the throne, his hands resting on the arms of the chair built entirely of balmera crystal. There was power trapped in this throne, coursing beneath the polished surface.

It wasn't long before the hostages were led in. According the trainers, the three human children were quick to pick up techniques, and the two males especially excelled at combat maneuvers.

Hand-to-hand combat was specialty of the taller one. He had already been somewhat trained when he had been brought to the battleship, so honing his skills and instilling a sense of bloodlust was a matter of time.

The smaller male was agile and wily, a fighter who gave it his all in every match. He reminded Lotor of Champion, who had often relied on his speed before he received his upgraded arm and was encouraged to perform more entertaining melee feats.

The third child, the female, had an uncanny skill for figuring out strategies and defeating opponents of the same maturity with wits instead of battle prowess. The druids were fairly certain that she was sensitive to magic, which humans interpreted as mental powers since that was how it seemed to naturally manifest in them. They had a name for it. A sixth sense. ESP. Unfortunately, she was physically weak and had developed some variety of illness over the past few days. She wouldn't stop coughing, or so the trainers reported. She was walking beside the younger male, her sibling, and when she stumbled, he caught her.

All of them were wearing cuffs on their wrists, but no one bothered with shackling them. They would not get very far if they ran.

The old male human, Sam Holt, turned toward him, stepping away from the children. "Lotor, you have to give the girl something for her fever. You want her as a hostage, don't you?"

Lotor sighed. What an annoying being. Lately the old man had been pestering the guards on the training floor for medicine for the female, but Lotor didn't technically need two hostages to ensnare one paladin. Capturing two had been a maneuver to ensure that at least one survived, as he needed a back-up due to their young age.

"You will not address his highness without permission, scum," one of the soldiers said, driving a fist into the human's side. He crumpled and all three children hurried to his side, crowding around him like griale chicks.

"Keep them out of view for now," Lotor said to the contact technician, ignoring the drama below him. Without looking down, he addressed the hostages. "While I am not speaking, you may cry as much as you wish, for effect, but do refrain from attempting to give out secrets about this base. I have no qualms with placing one of you an airlock after this contact and introducing you to the dark, cold silence of space."

Arranging himself on his throne, Lotor flicked his fingers at the contact technician, who opened the contact with the scrambled initiator. Ah, yes, and there they were.

"Paladins of Voltron. I believe you wished to speak with me."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!

A/N: There's a LOT going on in this chapter. So much to deal with. So many emotions. Also, if anyone is curious about Matt and his crew and how the Voltron crew got Shiro back, I've got a story up about it called The Incredibly Improbable But True Adventures of Matthew J. Holt, Rebel at Large. ^_^

* * *

Chapter 7

Lance wanted to reach through the screen and throttle the pointy-eared, smug bastard. This was the guy who was currently in charge of keeping the Galra Empire from sinking into the oblivion it deserved. Lotor. Lance recognized him from some vids that Matt had shown them weeks ago. Matt's crew had dealt with him and his hands-on, direct approach before he disappeared from their quadrant of space, but it seemed like he had been busy while he was missing.

It made Lance sick to think that this guy was currently in control of Theo, Josie and Isaia, and since he was thousands of light years away, he could hurt them without any immediate repercussions. Anxiety twisted through him, but he didn't let it show on his face. If he could help it, he wasn't going to show this asshole a single ounce of how scared he was.

His anger, however, was another story. He wanted Lotor to know the lengths he would go, the destruction he would cause, if it meant getting to Josie and Theo.

"You have our siblings, and we want them back," Hunk said, his voice tense but firm. The two of them were standing closest to the screen, and Shiro was standing right behind them. Pidge was sitting out of view at her contact station, keeping the signal scrambled, while Keith stayed next to Hunk. Coran and Allura had taken up spots next to Lance, and he was grateful that the whole Voltron family was there.

"I expected as much," Lotor said, "My terms are simple."

"Where are they?" Lance butted in, glaring at the alien on the screen. "Are they okay?" A dark thought stabbed into his mind: _Are they all alive_? Before he could panic, he forced it away.

Lotor's jaundiced eyes locked onto him and narrowed. " _I_ was speaking."

"Yeah, I sort of don't care," Lance snapped, "I want to see my brother and sister."

A hand rested on his shoulder and squeezed, a silent note from Shiro. He needed to keep his cool and be careful about pissing off Lotor.

"I am going to put forth a rule, as I am in the position of making them and you are not. While I speak, you do not. I will give you chances to respond, so use those moments wisely." He leaned forward, an elbow on one knee, his eyes hard and unforgiving. "Don't break my rule, or you will swiftly regret doing so."

Lance didn't say anything, but his face grew hot with rage and frustration at being forcefully silenced and not being given an answer. He wasn't going to be able to focus on anything this guy said until he knew that Josie and Theo and Isaia were at least still alive, that there was some hope.

A quiet, muffled sound was picked up by the speakers. It sounded a little like coughing or someone trying to hide a cough. Lotor's eyebrow twitched subtly, as if annoyed, then he continued speaking.

"Do you understand my rule?"

"We get it," Hunk said, glancing at Lance for confirmation. The blue paladin jerked a nod. He could do that.

"As I was saying," Lotor continued, leaning back against his throne, "There are certain requirements that must be met before any hostage is released into your care." He seemed to be quietly enjoying himself and arrogance rolled off of him. "First, three of the Voltron Lions must be handed over to the Galra Empire in order to see the return of three hostages."

That one was basically a given. Obviously he would want the lions, though it seemed strange that he only wanted three. They wouldn't be able to form Voltron, but they would at least still have two lions.

"Second, to ensure the continued existence of your home world as you know it, paladins, you will relinquish the remaining two Lions."

Hold on, the continued existence of Earth? What was he talking about? Lance exchanged a nervous look with Hunk, and Shiro took a small step forward. Keith's head jerked up. Out of the corner of his eye, Lance saw Pidge go wide-eyed.

Lotor rested his hands on the arms of his throne. "I see you're confused, so allow me to explain. Currently, I have battle class ships hidden in your solar system and waiting for orders. If my terms are not met, they will be given the assignment of invading Earth and subjugating and enslaving the population. Your families are marked for particular attention, and I do believe my acquisition of the young shows I know exactly where to find them."

Lance felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. Kidnapping Josie and Theo and Isaia had been for show? Just an example of the power he had over all of them? Lotor knew their families. He knew where to find them. And now everyone was in danger, the Galra were poised at the ready to practically wipe out Earth. It could become just another world that was a part of the Galra's collection or even a quintessence extraction point.

The thought made him want to scream.

"Third, to keep your own lives, before you give the Galra Empire the Lions you will use Voltron to destroy the Castle of Lions."

Beside Lance, Coran and Allura tensed.

"You can keep the Alteans, I suppose, but the Castle must be decimated in order for the terms to be met. If all of these measures are completed, I will allow you all to live out the remainder of your lives on Earth in peace as long as you do not attempt to defy the empire. Galra rule will not be enforced on Earth until all of you have expired." Lotor paused for a moment and then gestured toward them with a lazy hand. "You may now respond with brief questions and acquiescence."

"What happens if we don't do that?" Keith asked.

Okay, now he felt like punching Keith, too.

"Or what if we only do one of those?" Keith continued, violet eyes trained on the Galra prince, "What if we just give you three lions?" Oh. A small part of him understood that reasoning, even if it would never work. That would get them the kids back and they could maybe still fight, though it would put Earth in a crazy amount of danger.

"Then your lives and the Earth are forfeit, but you get three hostages back and still have two Lions and a Castle," Lotor said, "It would be entertaining to see you continue to fight with only a head, an arm of Voltron, and one ancient battleship."

"When would you want all of this done by?" Shiro asked, "You must have a timeline in mind."

"I believe that would depend on which three hostages you would like returned."

Silence fell over the Voltron crew, and Lance leaned forward, his hands braced on the console. Who else did Lotor have? Was it another one from his family?

"Can we see them?" Hunk asked, his voice quiet but trembling with anger. "If you're going to try and make us choose, we should at least know who we're choosing from."

Lotor looked off screen and waved his hand. A pair of Galra guards shoved, dragged, and carried over four people, forcing them to kneel into the space before Lotor's throne.

Theo looked awful. His right eye was surrounded with a black bruise that was starting to fade to yellow and green, and his arm was bandaged up. He was staring back at Lance, his mouth open, fear and disbelief in his eyes. "No way. No." He looked back at Lotor, his arms around Josie. "Stop messing with us!"

As he looked at Josie, panic crawled down Lance's throat and took hold of his chest, making it hard to breathe. She was leaning heavily against Theo, her brown skin pale except for her flushed cheeks, and it looked like she was breathing too quickly. Her eyes were dull but a little light flashed into them and they filled with tears as she lifted her head and looked at him. "Lance!" she squeaked and then broke off into coughing, hiding her mouth with her arm.

Before Lance could say anything, before he could explain or reassure them, Pidge exploded out of her chair. "Dad!" she yelled, launching herself past the rest of them, "Dad!"

Beside Hunk's brother Isaia was an older man that Lance recognized from Pidge's mind-space and from pictures on her phone. Her dad looked a decade older than he did in any of the pictures, and when he raised his head, his eyes whirled and glowed faintly purple. Galra enhancements. He focused on Pidge, confusion on his wrinkled face. "Katie?"

"Dad, it's me, I'm going to get you out of there," Pidge said, tears in her eyes as she rushed the camera.

"No, Katie, what…what are you doing there? Where are you?" Captain Holt sounded like a broken man as he stared back at her, his face contorting. "Why are you there?"

"Captain Holt," Shiro said, shock plain on his face as he moved toward Pidge, "Sir, she's all right, and Matt's safe, he's with friends."

"Shiro...?"

"Look, you Galra asshole, let my dad and those kids go right now, or I swear I will use Green to completely decimate the Galra Empire on my own, so help your pointy ears!"

"Pidge, stop it," Shiro said, putting a hand on her arm and pulling her back. She tried to punch him, but he ducked to the side and grabbed her. "Stop."

"Let go!"

"Hunk, is that really you?" Isaia asked, dark eyes narrowed. He was sitting on Josie's other side, sandwiching her with safety. He had a red-stained bandage around his head, and bruises all over. There was a set of stitches on his leg, and he looked tougher. Battle-hardened at age ten.

"Yeah, bro," Hunk said, his voice cracking, "I'm so sorry, Isaia. We're going to fix this, okay?" He was watching the screen, eyes flicking over Isaia's many wounds. "I'm going to find you, don't worry. Please, just hang in there."

"What's a Voltron?" Isaia asked, "Why are you wearing armor? How aren't you dead, they said you were dead!"

"They _are_ dead, this is fake," Theo snapped, "This is all fake. Josie, don't listen to them."

That was a knife stab straight to Lance's heart. "No, Theo, I'm not, I'm alive," Lance rushed to say, "Josie, I'm not dead, okay? I'm going to come get you, I promise."

"I know," Josie said, a weak smile on her face.

Theo glared at him and then looked away.

Lance couldn't stop looking at Theo and Josie, though he did feel bad for Pidge and Hunk. He was just focused on his siblings, especially because Josie looked so feverish. She wasn't a sickly child, but she was small and the conditions wouldn't be great in a Galra prison. What were they even feeding them? He had to get to her, he had rescue both of them, Josie might… His earlier dark thought raced through his head again, tearing at his composure. They were both alive for now, but the mere idea of losing Josie…

The view jerked up, taking his siblings out of view. Lance clenched his hands into fists at the sight of Lotor.

"Let me see my dad!" Pidge shouted, but Lotor only gave her a glare and off screen there was a grunt of pain from her dad. Immediately, Pidge covered her mouth with her hands and buried her face into Shiro's side, her shoulders shaking with sobs and fury.

"As I said, the timeline will depend on which ones you want. I can't guarantee that they will all be alive for much longer." The Galra looked straight into the view screen, locking eyes with them. "Again, you must fulfill the following stipulations. If you would like three of these hostages returned, the Earth to remain as is, and your own lives, you will use Voltron to destroy the Castle of Lions and then give up the five Lions to the Galra Empire. After the length of two days at this same time, I will look for a contact from you. I expect I already know the answer, but this does give you time to deliberate."

The contact ended, but Lance kept staring at the screen. He just wanted them back.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!

A/N: Aftermath time part one with a focus on Shiro and the sibs! I thiiiink this'll be the last glimpse of the sibs for a while, though I might write more Sam. And Matt and some of his rebel space family make their first appearance in this fic. The next chapter will focus on Hunk, Lance, and Pidge and their reactions.

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Shiro leaned heavily against the wall beside the docking station, trying to sort through his thoughts and compartmentalize them. His team was in shambles, and he didn't know how to fix it. He didn't know where to even start. Hunk was crying in the rec room, Lance wouldn't come out of his room, Pidge had locked herself in her lion, and Keith refused to stop sparring with the training robot.

With one conversation, Lotor had torn through Voltron and pitted them against each other.

This wasn't something that could be solved with teamwork and a rousing pep talk. Honestly, Shiro felt like he was on the edge of a breakdown as well. Captain Holt had been his mentor and leader, and he felt like he had failed him by not keeping Matt safe in the first place and then allowing Pidge to become a paladin. Yes, she was fully capable of the position and Green wouldn't have chosen her if she wasn't, but that didn't excuse the fact that she was in the middle of a war. The look of Captain Holt's face...

After the contact had ended, Allura had wormholed them to a new location as a precaution. She had chosen their jump point carefully, and Shiro was grateful for her foresight. Although Pidge had ignored him when he had tried to get her to come out of her lion and had done the same thing to Allura and Coran, she wouldn't say no to her brother.

The airlock around the docking station engaged and stabilized before the corridor between the castle ship and the much smaller _Outcast_ opened. Matt rushed through, his face pale and eyes red-rimmed. Shiro had contacted him the moment they were out of the wormhole, and he was sure that Pidge had contacted him from inside her lion as well.

"Where's Katie?" he asked, charging Shiro and grabbing him by the arm, "Is she in her hangar?"

"She's in her lion, she won't talk to anyone," Shiro answered, "Matt, I'm sorry—"

"Okay. Okay, got it." Matt took off, heading for the lift that would take him to the Green Lion's hangar bay.

"Shiro…"

He turned to see Era standing a couple feet away, her expression sympathetic and arms open. Petite with silver eyes and dark blue skin dappled with multi-colored freckles, she was the demolitions expert of the _Outcast_ and Matt's girlfriend. She rushed forward and hugged him, and he relaxed as her wings unfurled and folded over the two of them, temporarily hiding him.

Among his own team, he was a leader and he tried to always play the part since everyone looked to him to stay strong and levelheaded. It was practically in his job description. Most of the time, that didn't bother him in the slightest. But the crew of the _Outcast_ didn't expect that from him, and he appreciated that, too. To them, he was just another lost-in-space twenty-something human, like Matt. They didn't necessarily freak out when he had a moment of weakness.

Era waited until he pulled back a little then released him, but she didn't fold her wings away immediately. Instead, she took his hands in hers and gave them a squeeze. "How are you?"

"Better off than the rest of my team," he said, "I wish I had good news for Matt instead of...this."

"At least he knows his father is alive now," she said, her wings fluttering and then folding up tight against her back.

"Which is better than being in the dark," said Iwari. The tall, imposing alien with draconic features was the captain of the _Outcast_ and, for lack of a better term, Matt's space mom. He even called her that sometimes, and she certainly treated the younger members of her crew as if they were her children. For a few months after the battle with Zarkon, that had included Shiro. "We have a lot to talk about."

Shiro nodded, honestly feeling a little more hopeful now that Iwari was there. Out of everyone he knew, she had the most experience with confronting Lotor specifically, and her tactician's mind was accustomed to conducting large scale battles on multiple fronts.

If the other people that Allura had contacted since Lotor's ultimatum came through, maybe they would have a fighting chance at actually pulling off a rescue mission and a massive defensive attack simultaneously.

* * *

Josie wanted to sleep. She could imagine curling up under her favorite purple blanket on the couch back home and eating chicken and stars soup while her mama read to her or her papa stroked her hair. Sometimes Lance would sing to her when she wasn't feeling well. Maybe if she waited long enough, he would come get her like he said he would and he'd take care of her. Or at least let her sleep.

A couple hours had passed since they had talked to Lance, and no matter what they made her do, she was happy she had seen him. He was really alive, and they couldn't take that away. She just had to make Theo believe it too.

It was hard to ignore the Galra trainer as he yelled at her when she fell again, her knees scraping against the training room floor. They didn't care that she was sick, but it was really hard doing what they asked when her head felt fuzzy and she couldn't catch her breath. She covered her head as the trainer stood over her and started yelling.

"Useless! What do they expect me to do with you, you're worthless. Weak and pointless, get up!" He nudged her with a boot. "Now!"

Josie put her hands on the ground and pushed up, crawling to her feet. The trainer was still yelling at her, trying to get her to move, but she didn't have the energy. She pressed up against the wall of the training room and looked for Theo, wishing he could help her. He tried sometimes, and he always got hurt and it wasn't fair.

She finally found him across the room, sparring with one of the fighting robots. He looked really scared and he wasn't trying to hit the robot. Instead he was dodging and running, staying as far away from it as possible. Josie frowned. Theo had gotten good at fighting and while he always moved a lot, he usually got in hits. What was he doing? Something felt weird and wrong, like it was dark in that corner of the room even though the lights were on.

That's when she spotted the person in the robe and the scary mask standing at the edge of Theo's training mat. Her skin prickled, goosebumps covering her arms. She had seen people like that before; they had come by the cell once. All of the bad feelings were coming from that person right now, but they were all pointed at Theo. Her heart pounded as she focused on her brother, and for a split second, she could see the training robot the way he saw it.

Instead of a robot, he saw Lance. Lance with yellow eyes and a mean smile that wasn't his. No, no, no. That wasn't real, that _wasn't_ Lance. She pushed away from the wall and took off toward Theo, but she only made it a couple steps before the trainer snatched her off the ground.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Josie reached toward Theo, tears trailing down her cheeks. He already refused to believe that Lance was alive, and now they were making him fight Lance? Why? Pressure built up behind her eyes, and she focused on Theo. She didn't want him to see Lance, she wanted him to see what was real, she wanted the bad feelings to go away. Taking all those wants, she bundled them together and thought hard about Theo. The heaviness in her head suddenly went away, and Theo stopped running. Even if it was only for a second, he must have seen the robot instead of Lance.

Good, she thought as darkness swept up over her.

On the other side of the training room, the druid left the young male human and the sparring robot and swept over to the young female. For a moment, the druid's mental control of the young male had been forced away, and she knew that the female human child was the cause. That kind of mental power was unexpected and made her more interesting than she had appeared. Constant exposure to the build-up of quintessence on the ship must have enhanced her paltry natural abilities.

"Give her to me," the druid demanded, reaching for the child. Bright red blood dripped from her nose and she was unconscious, the repercussions of using magic without any training. The trainer handed the child over, and the druid headed for the tunnel, carrying the limp creature. The female child was too intriguing to be wasted on the training floor. The druids would have more use for her in their laboratory, which Prince Lotor would certainly understand.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron!

A/N: After this chapter, we should be getting into some action, woo!

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Pidge huddled against the back of Green's pilot chair, her forehead resting on her knees, arms wrapped around her legs. She was out of tears, exhausted from sobbing, and her head was being ripped apart by a headache.

Her dad had looked so _frail_. Sam Holt wasn't a tough kind of guy, but she had never thought of him as frail. No, he was goofy and kind and smarter than every other commanding officer at the Garrison. He could run a 5K with the recruits and leave them in the dust.

But up on that screen, he had looked half-dead. She had a screenshot up on the display right now so she could look over at it whenever the situation felt less than real. Wrinkles that hadn't been there before lined his face and there was a scar down his right cheek. His hair had gone from grey to mostly white, and he seemed gaunt. Then there were the eyes. Nothing could have prepared her for those faintly glowing purple eyes, unmistakably Galra tech.

They had replaced her father's _eyes_. Had they done it while he was awake? Had he lost his own somehow or had they just decided to gouge them—

She stifled a scream by burying her mouth into the crook of her arm. Deep breaths, deep breaths, stop panicking, _stop it_.

There was a ping against Green's hull, and she sat up straight. Did someone just throw something at her lion? She didn't want to talk. Steadying herself, she patched herself into the team's communication units. "Shiro, leave me alone."

"Whatever it is, it's not me," he answered, "But Matt should be in Green's hangar."

 _Matt_. Pidge scrambled for the controls, lowering Green's head to the floor of the hangar bay. A moment later, she launched herself down of Green's ramp and into her brother's arms, burying her face in his shirt. He held her tight, and she felt his tears landing on her neck. She had thought that she couldn't cry anymore, but seeing Matt and knowing he felt the same way she did caused her to start sobbing all over again.

"Dad—" she started to say.

"I know," Matt said, pulling back, "I watched the video after we talked, and then Shiro asked me to come over."

Of course he did, Shiro thought of everything. Pidge wiped her hand across her eyes. "What're we going to do? We have to get Dad back." And apparently they were only going to be given three prisoners. The thought of arguing with Lance and Hunk over who got which family members back was excruciating, like driving a hot poker into her already aching head. Just because she would do practically anything to get her dad back didn't mean she wanted anything to happen to Josie, Theo, or Isaia.

"We can't do anything on our own this time," Matt said, "We can't act alone."

"But it's Dad," she said, a plaintive note in her voice, "We have to bring him back." She couldn't imagine going home without him after all this time, after all of the searching and hunting and scouring she had done to get to this point. He was just out of reach, and if she could just stretch far enough…

Matt chewed on his lip, an old anxious habit. "I didn't say anything about leaving him behind. Look." He bent down slightly so they were eye level, and again she realized that he had grown a few more inches while he had been in space. "We're not alone out here, Katie. It's not just us against the Galra Empire, it's us and our teams."

"My team's in shreds," Pidge said, her face growing hot as she realized it was true. She, Lance, and Hunk were being pitted against each other and Shiro and Keith would be forced to choose sides. If they had to pick between their family members, if it came to a vote or something, she wasn't sure if they could come back from that. How would they ever trust each other again?

"Don't think like that," Matt said. He pulled her over toward her work station and sat her down in her chair while he leaned against her desk. "That's how Lotor controls people. He grabs as many cards as he can, lays a careful plan, and then sends his opponent into a panic so they can't see any other option than to play the game the way he wants."

Right, Matt and his team had more experience dealing with Lotor. The _Outcast_ crew had been freedom fighting for years, and Matt had been with them since he had been rescued. Guerilla tactics were sort of their expertise.

Pidge grabbed a tool off her work table and started playing with it, spinning one of the pieces around rapidly. "He's basically holding Earth for ransom, Matt. Mom's there." Another stab of pain racked her headache up toward migraine levels. The mother thought they were all dead, there was no other way around it. Most of the time, she tried to not think of her mom. It just hurt too much.

"Right, so we're going to have to cheat."

"What're you talk about?"

"Iwari thinks that Lotor expects Voltron to either go along with his plan or attempt to fight him on some level," Matt said, "In either case, he'll expect Voltron to be alone except for maybe the _Outcast_." Matt plucked the tool from her hands and spun it around its axis. "But Voltron has allies, and so do we."

"We can't ask people to help us with this," Pidge protested, "It's not their fight."

"Isn't it?" Matt said, handing the tool back to her, "The whole empire is under Galra rule, and Lotor is currently in charge. Honestly, I think they'll be more than willing to take a chance on hitting Lotor where it hurts."

"You…really think so?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding. He held out a hand to her. "Come on, let's go talk to the rest of your team."

Before they reached the hangar door, it whooshed open, showing a sweaty, breathless Keith. For a moment, Pidge felt her stomach drop. Had something happened? Had Lotor contacted them?

The Keith pointed a finger at her and Matt. "We—We're going to get your dad back, okay? All of us. We're going to get your dad back and the kids and just— No one's losing anyone again, got it?"

Pidge nodded, not sure how else to respond. He looked so determined to drive that point home. "O-okay," she said, "Keith, are you—"

"Gotta go tell Lance and Hunk," he said before stalking down the hallway, heading for the paladin quarters. She watched him and decided to tell Shiro about how he was acting. He was definitely in one of those moods where he would make a bad decision and try to go fight the whole Galra Empire on his own.

By the time Pidge and Matt reached the bridge, it looked like it had been converted into a war room. There were maps and star charts on various displays, and in the middle of the room, Shiro, Allura and Coran were talking to Iwari and, to Pidge's surprise, Kolivan. Other alien leaders and captains were shown on some of the hoverscreens, and all of them seemed to be intent on the plan that the five people on the bridge were devising. Even Slav was there, though his screen seemed to be currently muted since his mouth was twitching but no sounds were coming out.

Shiro nodded to her when she walked in, and she returned the gesture before walking over to her seat and plopping down. Matt pushed her to one side of the seat and sat down as well, looping an arm around her shoulders. Sighing, she leaned against him.

After a little while, Lance, Keith, and Hunk walked in, trailed by Matt's girlfriend Era and another one of his crewmates, a large grey-skinned man named Nevan. While Nevan and Era went over to join Iwari, the others headed toward Pidge.

"Hey, Pidge," Hunk said, his voice almost cracking over her name.

"Hi," she said softly, reaching up to adjust her glasses.

"Look, we shouldn't fight about who…about Lotor's terms," Lance said, taking a deep breath, "I like Keith's idea best, for once. Get everyone back and save Earth, no exceptions."

"That's not a plan, that's an end result," Pidge pointed out.

"Shiro's coming up with the details," Keith said, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked a little calmer now, less likely to charge off and challenge Lotor to a duel for the universe.

"We all just want our families back," Hunk said, "So let's go get them." He snagged Pidge up by the arm and pulled her into a hug before grabbing Lance and hugging him too. Smushed against Hunk's chest and pinned together with Lance, Pidge couldn't imagine fighting against them.

She only wanted to fight _with_ them against the bastard who had made the worst mistake of his life.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron.

A/N: Finally, Team Voltron gets their rescue on! Also, this may or may not be the most reckless rescue mission ever launched, so just excuse them as they fly by the seat of their pants. The chapter is extra long this time, I hope that's okay with everyone!

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

It was cramped quarters in the back of the stolen Galra vessel with five paladins squeezed together alongside Matt and Era. Lance tapped his fingers anxiously against his thigh, quietly beating out a rhythm to keep his mind from spinning or thinking about what could go wrong. He didn't like this, but there wasn't any other choice. Not one that would work.

In the cockpit, two members of the Blade of Marmora were piloting the long-range scouting ship, guiding it into the docking bay of Lotor's massive battleship.

They were basically a speck in space. If Lotor figured out who exactly was in the ship, a single shot from the battleship would destroy the scouting ship, taking them all out. This was a gamble, but one they had all been willing to take.

The plan was complicated and honestly they were going to be lucky if all the pieces went the way they were supposed to. They couldn't wormhole the castle directly to Lotor's ship since it would definitely be noticed, so they had gone a more subtle route. The castle had wormholed to one location, then a cargo ship from a recently liberated planet had brought them at warpdrive to another spot. The scout ship had been snagged yesterday and they had been flying for the past few hours. They would get onto the ship under the premise of a prisoner drop-off, with Era acting as the prisoner. Her entire species was well-known for causing trouble for the Galra Empire, so another Skirin prisoner wouldn't be very suspicious to the Galra officers.

Once they were on board Lotor's ship and launching their attack, Shiro was going to signal Allura, who would bring the castle and the lions to the fight. The _Outcast_ and five other ships would follow using the same wormhole.

The main fleet, a crazy mix of battle-class and cargo-class and scout ships from all over the universe and led by Kolivan, would take a second wormhole to the Milky Way. There they would fight off the Galra ships that were ready to take out Earth. Slav kept babbling about a fool-proof back-up plan but anytime anyone tried to pin him down, he started fussing about alternate realties and became secretive. No wonder he drove Shiro nuts.

This was insane, it might not work, but it was what they were going to do. It was the only way they could think of to save the kids and Sam, keep Voltron out of Galra hands, and save the Earth. Lance knew people were going to die today. It was inevitable. But he couldn't dwell on that right now, it was something to focus on later.

It really did feel like war now.

The process of getting to this point had taken a day. The timeline had been short anyways, with Lotor only giving them two days before he expected contact. That entire time, Lance had tried to stay busy since the alternative was worrying about Theo and Josie. Now that he was here with nothing to do but stay still, he couldn't stop thinking about them. Did Theo still think he was dead? Did his black eye get better or had more bruises been laid on top of it?

Every time his thoughts went to Josie, he had to stop himself from panicking. The coughing in the vid had been hers, and it sounded so _bad_ , like pneumonia. She needed a doctor, and they were out in space and Earth was about to be caught up in a major battle and what was he supposed to do? Allura and Coran didn't think it was safe to put the kids in the healing pods since they weren't meant to be used on Altean children. Plus, healing pods didn't help illnesses. What if she didn't get better? What if she was already—

Nope, no, _no_. He shook his head, getting rid of that thought. No, he had to stay positive. He was on a mission right now to go get his brother and sister, and he was going to take them back home and they were going to be fine. Everything was going to be just fine.

On either side of him, Pidge and Hunk seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. No one was talking, mainly because Shiro and Kolivan had both said it was important to stay silent. Well, that's what Shiro had said. Kolivan had threatened them before they left with complete mission failure if they opened their mouths in the scout ship.

He felt someone looking at him, and he glanced up to meet Shiro's grey eyes. The older guy nodded to him, a silent encouragement. It wasn't much, but it did make Lance feel a shred better. At least his team was here. They had been doing impossible things ever since they took off into space in a big blue metal lion, so maybe this wasn't as hopeless as it seemed.

In the cockpit, the Blade of Marmora members gave the landing officers an access code, and they were granted passage. Pidge had rigged the ship so that even if it was scanned, it would look like the only people on board were the two Galra pilots and their prisoner.

The ship eased through the enormous bay entry and passed over a dozen other Galra vessels, setting down toward the back of the massive hangar. Lance tensed up, holding his bayard close. This was it. The ramp of the ship opened, and everyone shifted away from it as Era prepared to go with the two Galra.

Matt grabbed her hand as she started to stand up, stopping her. This was dangerous, and no matter how well-trained she was, there was a very weighty possibility that she was going to die here while creating a distraction. Every Galra soldier was going to shoot at her.

For a moment, he thought Matt wasn't going to let her go, but Lance knew Era had been insistent that she be the one to play the prisoner part. She wanted to. Leaning down, she kissed Matt, quick and silent, and he ran a hand over her cheek. Then she was gone, marching between the two Marmorans.

The ramp remained lowered, and the rest of them stayed perfectly still in the shadows. Three long stressful minutes went by, and Lance was sure they were going to be discovered at any moment. Then there was an explosion as one of the nearby ships blew up.

"Move!" shouted Shiro. The whole group launched out of the ship, heading for the middle of the hangar bay where they could get into the main control hub of the hangar. Out among the ships, Era and the two Marmorans were wreaking absolute havoc. The two Marmorans had been weighed down with weapons and explosives that they were now using, and Era had taken to the air with two laser pistols, picking off drones and laying down fire.

Okay, so the rebels were absolute badasses.

Lance's bayard transformed into a rifle as he ran, and as the others piled into the control hub, he stayed by the door to cover them. He heard the Galra officers yell as Pidge took them both out with her bayard, using it like a taser. As Hunk went by, bringing up the rear, he grabbed Lance and hauled him inside. Pidge and Matt were already at the control panel, digging information out of the computers and breaking Lotor's ship through violent hacking.

"Humans, humans, humans, I'm looking for humans," Pidge mumbled to herself, the screen reflecting in her glasses.

Beside her, Matt was silent. His job was to lock down the hangar, even if it was just temporary, and to find the access codes that would get them to other parts of the ship. "Shiro, put your hand on that," he said, pointing to a plate by the computer. Shiro didn't hesitate. He put his palm on the plate, and his arm lit up, glowing a faint purple. "I'm downloading new codes, this should get you through. We'll need another key besides Shiro's arm."

"I'll be right back," Keith said, and a second later he was gone, heading out into the explosion-ridden hangar bay. A minute later, he stepped back in and tossed a couple Galra drone arms on the counter in front of Matt.

"Nice. Wait, I've got an idea." He yanked off his boot and put his Galra tech foot up on the panel, where it glowed purple as well. "Might as well have a back-up."

"Found them!" Pidge exclaimed then shrunk back from the screen. "Or I found three of them."

Lance's heart leapt into his throat, and he swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm.

"Who did you find?" Shiro asked since no one else was going to.

From the way Pidge looked at Lance, he could guess what she was going to say. "Dad is being held on prison level three, room 394. Isaia and Theo are on the training deck right now. I found their prisoner numbers…"

"Whe—" It was hard to talk, his throat was closing off. It was bad enough that Theo was out on the training deck, probably getting beaten, but Josie wasn't even there.

"Where's Josie?" Hunk asked for him.

"I don't know, I can't find her prisoner number," Pidge said, on the verge of becoming frantic. "She's not in the system."

That. That didn't make any sense. "She has to be there," Lance said, "She can't not be there."

"I'm looking—"

"Pidge, she has to be there!"

Suddenly Hunk was in front of him, his hands on Lance's shoulders. It kept Lance from falling over that ledge that seemed to have opened up in front of him. "Lance, that doesn't mean she's not here at all," he said, giving Lance a light shake, "Maybe they took her to the medical part of the ship. Maybe she has a patient number or something instead."

Right. Right, okay, maybe that was true.

"We're going to have to move," Shiro said, pulling his hand away from the panel when it stopped glowing. He and Matt looked at each other, and Matt nodded.

"I'm going to lose lockdown control and Lotor's going to get suspicious any minute," Matt said, "Even if he doesn't know for sure that it's us, he'll take precautions to make sure he gets the kids and Dad out of here. He doesn't leave things to chance."

"So we have to get there before he does," Shiro said.

Keith picked up one of the Galra drone arms and held it in one hand while he held his sword bayard in the other. "Are we splitting up yet?"

"We're going to have to."

"Give me a second, hold on," Pidge said, her fingers flying over the keyboard she had plugged into the Galra system.

Shiro turned toward her, his hand on the back of the chair she had commandeered. "Pidge, we don't have time—"

"Found her, I found her! Or at least I think it's her."

"Where?" Lance demanded, leaning over Pidge's shoulder.

"I…I don't know," she said, gesturing toward the screen, "It's a part of the ship that's attached to the medical section, but it's not actually designated medical. And they gave her a new number when they transferred her there, which is why I couldn't find her."

"What does that mean?" Keith asked.

"It's not like the other prisoner numbers, it's got a 117 in front of it instead of a 214," Pidge relayed quickly, "And that's the number of that weird part of the ship."

Lance saw the color drain from Shiro's face, and he stepped toward him, grabbing his arm. "Shiro?"

Beside Pidge, Matt was pale as well. "That's the number they give to the druid sectors on ships," he said, "It's where they do medical experiments."

Like Shiro's arm. And Matt's leg. _That's_ where his baby sister was? He was going to throw up. Pulling off his helmet, Lance leaned against the console, his hand wrapped around the edge as he tried not to hyperventilate.

"I'll go to the druid section, I can handle them," Shiro said, taking charge of the spiraling situation, "Hunk, I know you're going to want to go to the training deck, so you go there. Matt, Pidge, prisoner cell deck, find your dad. Lance, I need to know where you want to go before I assign Keith."

Lance took a halting breath and looked at Shiro questioningly.

"If you come with me, I'll send him with Hunk," Shiro said, "Otherwise, Keith comes with me and you go with Hunk." His grey eyes were conflicted and sympathetic as he looked at Lance. "They're your siblings."

And how was he supposed to choose? He stared, not knowing what to say or what to do. Theo needed him. So did Josie. He had expected them to be together, why couldn't they be in the same place?

"I'll get Theo," Hunk said, "Lance, you have to go get Josie."

"He might not believe it's you, you heard him," Lance said, "He thinks we're dead." What if Theo wouldn't go with Hunk? He didn't even know Keith, he might think it was training operation and attack him.

"Then I'm going to be the pushiest ghost ever," Hunk said, "I'll get him and Isaia both, I swear."

"And I'll protect him," Keith said, and Lance believed him.

Finally he nodded and held out a hand that Keith grabbed. "Thank you."

"I'll see if I can distract them," Matt said, "I think I've got an idea of how to clear the druids out there. I think there's such thing as a Galra fire alarm… Or more like a chemical release warning in this case."

"Do it, we'll take that chance," Shiro said, "I'll contact the castle once we've got eyes on all the kids and Captain Holt."

Lance stuck his helmet back on and followed Shiro out the door, his bayard raised as they went back into the fray. Era and the two Marmorans had succeeded at keeping the drones away from the command hub, but they were being overpowered by sheer numbers. Any moment Matt's lockdown of the hangar was going to be overridden and they were going to be swamped with new soldiers and drones. They all had to get out of there before then.

Era saw them and dove their way, driving off a new wave of drones with a laser shotgun. With her aerial attacks and the Marmoran ground cover, the hangar bay was being swiftly dismantled. They made it to a maintenance exit and using Shiro's hand, they passed through the lockdown and into the tunnel.

Shiro led the way, guided by a mapping device that Matt had brought with him. The Holt siblings were downright geniuses when it came to computers, and together they were an intimidating force of digital prowess. While busy hacking, Matt had downloaded the blueprints of the ship that he could access and pinpointed Josie's last location on that device.

The map led them through the maze-like inner workings of the ship and allowed them to stay in the service tunnels. They only came across a few guards, all of them drones, and they were quickly taken out. Moving as a team, Shiro on close combat and Lance taking long-to-mid range, they sped through the ship's service system, straight to the druid sector.

When they reached the medical section of the ship, Shiro slowed down, moving more carefully. Lance wanted to press forward, to hurry, but he let Shiro lead. They stopped by a door that led out into the druid sector, and Shiro shoved his right hand against the panel, causing it to release the lock.

"They might not have gone," Shiro said, his hand on the door, "We may have to fight our way through, and they'll use everything they have against us."

"I'm ready for that," Lance said. What he wasn't ready for was whatever they had done to his sister. Maybe she hadn't been there long. Maybe she was okay. God, let her be okay.

There were sirens going off and a fine mist spraying from the ceiling as they burst into the room, weapons at the ready. Lance spun, looking down the barrel of his rifle, but he didn't see any cloaked creepers in the room. There were tables, though, and a lot of medical equipment, some he recognized and others he didn't. Monitoring systems, screens, displays. It looked like a scene out of one of those movies where an insane doctor tortures someone.

"Lance…" Shiro was looking in the other direction, and his voice was quiet and close to breaking. He spun around, blocking Lance's view of the other end of the room. "You need to stay calm, okay?"

"Move." He pushed past Shiro and froze.

There was a large glass tube in the middle of that side of the room, filled with clear liquid and reaching almost to the ceiling. Curled up and floating in the center of the tube, like a specimen in a science classroom, was Josie.

His legs gave out, and he hit his knees, his arms limp by his sides. Lance couldn't move. He couldn't think besides one thought.

 _His baby sister was dead._

* * *

A/N: Before anyone panics, just remember, this is how Lance perceives the situation at the end of the chapter! He doesn't know for sure yet. Just saying, in case people start yelling. Also, I remembered that Shiro refers to Sam Holt as 'commander' in canon, but here he's just going to refer to him as captain. ^_~


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron.

A/N: Still focusing on Lance here, jumping to Hunk and Pidge next! Also, excuse any messed-up science or space-physics. ^_^ I try really hard, but I am so not perfect, lol. Let's just chalk up any mistakes space-magic!

* * *

Chapter 11

Coming here was a terrible idea, but Shiro hadn't seen any way around it. The others weren't equipped to take on the druids while he had a built-in weapon, but being back in a place like this… He could feel his nightmarish memories pressing at his mind, digging in with claws, begging him to break down and let them in. He was keeping them at bay only by reminding himself that he was trying to save someone else from those same experiences.

"Lance, get up," Shiro said, reaching down and grabbing him by the upper arm, "She's not dead." He knew that was the conclusion Lance's mind had jumped to,since honestly it seemed like that. The poor kid looked like something the druids had decided to preserve, but that wasn't the truth.

Some part of him knew what that thing was. The druids stuck you in one of those when they needed you to heal so they could tear you apart again. Josie wasn't dead, which was an incredible relief.

"But—"

"They don't use oxygen masks on dead people." Shiro hauled the blue paladin to his feet and moved toward the tube, wondering how they were going to get her out of there. Simply breaking it seemed like the easiest route. They would just have to be careful to not hurt her.

Josie was in the center of the clear cylinder, a small oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. Wires and tubes trailed from her like snakes to the top and bottom of the container. She seemed have in IV needles plunged into the backs of her hands and her ankles, and bright purple liquid flowed through those tubes. Her hair floated around her, and he was shocked to see thin white streaks among the dark brown.

Quintessence. They were experimenting on her using quintessence, feeding it directly into her bloodstream. Shiro's breath caught and his chest tightened as a memory took over, a flash of an IV just like that stuck into his left arm. Pain surged through his right forearm and in his memory he looked over to see the mangled remains of his arm, skin and muscle in tatters—

"—ro?! Shiro! You okay, man?"

He came back to the present in a rush, aware that he had broken out in a cold sweat. Lance was standing beside him, his hands on the cylinder in front of them, looking back and forth between Shiro and his sister.

"We have to get her out of there," Shiro said raggedly. He needed to pull it together, he had to stay in the here and now so he could help.

"I could shoot the bottom and drain it," Lance said, gripping his bayard. He was staring at his sister like she might disappear again if he looked away. At least he didn't have that devastated, hopeless look on his face anymore. "She'll just float to the floor, right?"

Shiro couldn't see a control panel anywhere, and even if they found one, they might not put in the right sequence or commands. It seemed like Lance's plan was the best one, in this case. "I think that's what we're going to have to do," Shiro said, "Just be really careful."

"No kidding," Lance said.

He lifted his bayard to shoot the cylinder, but a bolt of thin purple lightning cracked through the air and knocked it to the floor. The bayard skittered across the floor and under a table. Shiro snagged Lance by the back of his armor and pulled him away as purple lightning scorched the floor where the blue paladin had been.

Not _them_ , they were supposed to be gone. The smell of burnt atmosphere stung his nose, and Shiro shuddered as he looked at the two druids who had stepped into the laboratory. He should've expected them to show up, but he had hoped that Matt's diversion would keep them away long enough to find Josie and get out of there. Activating his arm, Shiro steeled himself for the fight.

"Get the hell out of here!" Lance shouted, and a circular metal tray went zooming at the druids, followed by a chair. Without his bayard, Lance was using anything he could get his hands on as a weapon. Shiro had never seen that expression of pure rage on Lance's face before; it looked like he wanted to destroy the druids with his bare hands.

One of the druids dodged while the other used telekinesis to send the objects back at Lance, forcing him to hunker down behind a counter. Shiro used the distraction and launched himself over a table, coming at a druid from above.

It teleported away, reappearing beside the cylinder. It tapped something onto the side of it, using a clear panel that Shiro and Lance hadn't been able to see. The fluid in the tube started to slowly drain while the druid stood in front of the cylinder, lightning playing around its long clawed hands.

Shiro had a sinking feeling that once the fluid was drained, the druid would grab Josie and teleport away. The likelihood of them getting her back if that happened—

He spun and blocked the other druid's attack as it rushed him, using lightning like a sword. Jumping back, Shiro grabbed his bayard from his side, and in his left hand, it turned into a handgun. He shot at the druid, forcing it backward.

Across the room, Lance was slowly making his way toward his bayard, dodging lab equipment that the druid kept trying to drop on him. The druid must not have realized what he was going after since it didn't make a move to levitate the bayard.

Shiro realized that the druid he was fighting was trying to lure him away from Lance while the other one kept Lance pinned. They wanted the paladins separated, probably realizing that they would be much harder to take out if they fought together. And that's exactly what they needed to do.

Taking off, Shiro skidded around the edge of a table and dove for Lance's bayard, dodging the second druid's barrage of equipment. He hurled the bayard to Lance, who jumped up and snatched it out of the air, instantly transforming it into a…shield? What, where was Lance's rifle?

The blue paladin seemed just as shocked by his bayard's new form, but he only had a moment to stare at it before both druids focused their lightning on him.

"Lance!" Shiro shouted, racing for him. They should have brought more people, what were they thinking, taking on a Galra command ship with six humans, a Skirin, and two rebel Galra? He couldn't lose any of his team.

Lance held up the shield and hid behind it, and the bayard dissipated the lightning that struck its blue and white surface. Shiro tackled one of the druids from behind, but it disappeared out of his arms, making him lose his balance.

He caught himself on a table before he hit the floor, using the momentum to force himself forward. Lance leapt in front of him as the druids shot more lightning at him, and they both dove behind one of the counters.

"Okay, so how do we take these guys out?" Lance asked, holding his new shield over his head, "We don't have much time, do we?"

He must have guessed the druids' plan as well. Shiro shook his head and tried to come up with a solution. Fighting one druid was difficult, but two of them? He glanced over at the cylinder and saw that the liquid was halfway gone. It wouldn't be long before one of the druids could reach in and take Josie. Hold on, they didn't have to defeat them, that wasn't the goal here. Both sides had the same goal…

"We're not taking them out," Shiro said. They simply didn't have the time. "We're getting Josie and leaving through the service system."

"Won't they just come after us?" Lance asked, frowning. Lightning kept bouncing off his shield and the counter, frying the air around them.

That was a definite possibility. They would have to do something to keep the druids here… Or move faster than they expected. Purple light emanated from Shiro's right hand as he shoved it into the floor, preparing to try something so reckless that Keith could have thought of it. He cut a small hole and glanced down. All right. Okay. They could make that.

After going over a hasty plan, Shiro and Lance burst from their location together, Lance covering them with his shield while Shiro returned fire. One of the druids guessed that they were going for the cylinder, and it teleported in front of it, taking a defensive stance.

It had seriously underestimated Lance's fury and determination to get to his sister.

Yelling like a maniac, Lance sprang at the druid, battering it with his shield before it could teleport. Lance caught the druid upside the head with the shield before dropping down and slamming the shield into its knee. There was a sickening crack as its knee went backward, and it gave a shrill scream as it crumpled. It caught Lance's armor on the way down, scoring long thin gouges into the leg plates. Lance cried out and pulled away, his bayard changing into a rifle again so he could shoot at the druid.

Shiro dashed forward and drove his hand into the cylinder, cutting a hole in it so he could reach Josie. He wasn't ready for the smell. The too-sweet thick smell of the nutrient rich liquid that stuck to his armor as he grabbed for the girl. His chest constricted and panic threatened to overtake him.

' _Prepare the tank.'_

 _Hands on his shoulders, some grabbing his face, needles going into arms, liquid sliding up his neck—_

' _Tissue repair should commence without delay.'_

A hand grabbed his shoulder, and Shiro whipped around, nearly driving his Galra arm into Lance's chest. He yanked his arm to the side at the last moment and instead turned to shoot at the druid who didn't have a broken knee.

"Lance—" he started to apologize, but Lance shook his head and limped past him.

"It's okay, I get it. Just cover me." Blood dripped from the wounds the druid had left behind, but he gritted his teeth and reached into the cylinder. The viscous liquid oozed out of the tank as he pulled the unconscious child out, plucking the electrodes off her and swiftly pulling out the needles from her hands and ankles.

Shiro laid down fire at the second druid and spared a few shots for the first since it was trying to get up again. They needed a distraction, something to give them a better chance to get out of there.

Lance unhooked the mask from Josie's face and cradled her against his chest, his bayard changing back into a shield as he covered her. "Shiro, we need to go!"

Yeah, yes, they did. Shiro stepped back and drove his hand into the floor, burning a new hole into it. Still, even when they got down to the next level, the druids might chase them. He looked around the room while he cut through the floor, his mind racing. A distraction, anything, they needed something… There.

He cut through the final section of the floor, the metal dropping away to reveal the corridor below them. "Get down there," Shiro said, stepping in front of the hole, "And run once you hit the ground."

"What're you—"

"Now!"

Lance dropped into the hole, hitting the ground hard, his injured leg folding as he put too much weight on it. He managed to not fall entirely, and he staggered forward. He was picking up speed when Shiro looked back up. The druid that could still walk was coming toward him, hands outstretched, and for a moment, Shiro felt like his fear was going to take over again.

"Shiro, come on!"

Lance's voice was enough to ground him, and he grabbed one of the few explosives he had tucked into his suit at the gas tanks on the side of the room. Lots of different kinds to help keep a variety of aliens alive. He hadn't used them earlier because he didn't particularly want to blow the place to hell while they were there.

As he threw the explosive, he jumped down into the hole and sprinted in the direction Lance had gone. Still, the resulting explosion roared down the hole and sent him rolling down the hall. But then he bumped into something. The fire was cut off and curling around him, and he realized that Lance had rushed forward with his shield. Which, actually, was now almost the same size as the blue paladin.

"Apparently it can change size," Lance mumbled as fire hungrily reached past them. With his free arm, he held his sister against his chest.

"Handy," Shiro said, reaching up to help steady the shield.

As quickly as it had rushed at them, the flames died down, leaving them in an eerie silence. Overhead, the sprinkler system kicked in, showering them with water and fire suppressants.

Lance's bayard shifted back into its normal state, and he put it away so he could carry Josie better. Lance brushed her hair back from her face and hesitantly touched one of the white streaks. Tears were in his eyes as he looked up at Shiro and gave a shaky, tired grin. "She's alive."

Shiro smiled back. "Yeah, she is."

Now they just needed to find the others, alert Allura, make it back to the castle ship, form Voltron, damage Lotor's ship beyond repair, and wormhole to Earth to join that battle before their planet was destroyed.

Easy. Right.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron!

A/N: Someone asked if "Josie" was actually short for something, and it is! It's short for Josefina. Also, sorry for the long wait, I'm was on vacation VERY far away from home with not much Internet. So as compensation, this is a pretty long chapter (at least for me lol), and I'm going to do my best to update again within the next 24 hours! Some of these events are taking place at somewhat the same time, and oh, there's lots of robot destroying.

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

"What if they start moving prisoners? What if they take him somewhere? They've probably realized who we are, and they might try and evacuate before it gets worse, so what if we don't make it in time?"

Pidge spewed out her anxious thoughts as she and Matt raced down yet another hallway, dodging and taking out robotic Galra sentries along the way. They were fighting together, tag-teaming their way to Level 3 of the ship's prison section. This place was like a maze, all corridors and tight turns, and if they didn't have the guidance system built into Pidge's armor, they would have been lost already.

"We're going to make it," Matt said.

"Yeah, but maybe—"

"We will."

How could he so certain? Pidge dodged a blow from a sentry and then charged it, jamming her bayard into its face plate and short-circuiting it.

Matt slammed his staff into another sentry, driving it backwards and into a wall. Yanking the staff out, Matt swung it wide. Energy crackled over it before he hammered the staff into the sentry, crumpling the robot.

It still shocked her to see her brother fight like that, as if he had been training with a staff for a decade instead of just a year. Back home, Matt had never gone for self-defense and he had always taken the bare minimum when it came to phys ed classes at the Garrison. Now he was like an expert level staff ninja and on top of that there was his Galra tech left foot. Right now, he still had his boot off, and purple lines were glowing across the metal.

Shoving her anxiety down, Pidge surged forward, slinging her bayard into a sentry and lodging it in its shoulder. Allowing the energy rope to extend, she raced forward, looped it around another sentry and yanked. The two collided and one's gun went off, sending a laser blast through the other's chest plate.

She retracted her bayard and spun to use her wrist shield to block a series of laser bolts aimed at Matt. Spinning on his right heel, Matt slammed his powered up left foot into a sentry before hurling his staff into the air and impaling the robot who had tried shooting at him. While Matt went to retrieve his staff, Pidge rushed in the opposite direction and shoved her bayard into a sentry's side. The electricity shorted it out, and it fell to the floor in an awkward heap.

"We're going to have to do something about the rest of these prisoners," Matt said as they hurried down the hall, "We can't leave them all here."

"Mhmm." There were so many, it was going to be hard to evacuate everyone. They had underestimated how many prisoners Lotor would have on board.

"After we get Dad, we'll find a place where we can open the cells at once," Matt said, "Escape pods will probably work, if we can get them all there."

"Yeah, _after_ we get Dad." It wasn't that she didn't care about the other prisoners, it was just that she was focused on their father. They were so close to getting him back after all this time, it was hard to care about anything else. But they couldn't leave all these people behind, that would be wrong.

The comm unit in her helmet crackled before Shiro spoke. "Hey team, we've got Josie. There's a second hangar bay, we're heading there."

"Is Josie okay?" Hunk asked, concern in his voice.

"She will be," Lance broke in, "Have you guys found Theo and Isaia yet? Pidge, how's it going on your end?"

"We're not there yet," Pidge said, feeling behind. She and Matt needed to find their dad soon since Allura and Coran would be on their way with the Castle and the lions. It was weird being on a Galra ship and knowing that Green wasn't crouched outside on the hull, but it wouldn't be long before the lions arrived.

"We'll be at the training floor soon," Hunk said. Laser shots echoed from his comm, which meant he and Keith were in the middle of a fight.

"Era, do you copy that?" Matt asked over the comms. He and Pidge had patched together the comms that the Outcast crew and the Voltron team used before they started this mission. "You and the Blade go ahead and move out to the second hangar."

There was no response from Era, which drew more tension into Matt's movements.

"Era?" Pidge asked, hoping for something, anything. They hadn't heard anything from Era since they had left the hangar bay, and she knew Matt had asked her to check in. "Do you read?"

"Era?" Matt said again, quiet, like a plea.

Nothing.

"Maybe her comm is broken," Hunk said.

Matt slowed for a moment, pain in his light brown eyes. "Yeah…" They had left Era and two Blade members to fight off an entire hangar bay full of Galra. It wasn't hard to tell what Matt was thinking.

He gripped his staff and lunged forward to meet an oncoming sentry. His staff smashed through its chest plate and exploded out of its back, sending bits of metal and circuitry skittering across the ground. Sidestepping around the sentry, Matt grabbed the end of his staff and jerked it the rest of the way through the robot before continuing down the hallway.

Pidge didn't say anything as she darted after him, catching up in a second. She couldn't think of anything that would make the situation better.

"She's tougher than that," Matt said as they turned the corner. His eyes hardened. "She'll meet us at the other hangar. Let's go get Dad."

* * *

Down on the training floor, Isaia lunged forward, taking on the green alien kid head-on. With five arms, three eyes, and an extra half-foot of height, the other kid already had some major advantages over him.

Except Isaia had more experience by now.

Snagging one of the multi-jointed arms, Isaia swung around and tossed the green kid before they could get a good punch in. If this was a sparring match back home, he would wait for his opponent to get up, but here showing mercy meant he and Theo and Mr. Sam wouldn't eat tonight. Barring his teeth against his compassion, Isaia kicked the green kid in the side and then jumped on him, slamming an elbow into their back before they could get up.

"Stay down," he hissed, not wanting to hurt them more than he had to.

Instead of listening, the kid screeched and twisted, pounding two arms against Isaia, catching him in the face before he could block. Isaia shouted and lashed out, shoving the kid back against the rough floor but the more flexible alien turned on him. Those arms just weren't fair, they bent in ridiculous directions.

For a moment, his mind flashed to home and wrestling with his older brothers. Home, where it smelled like fresh air and warm bread, where his parents were waiting for him.

The alien kid used Isaia's momentary distraction and wrapped an arm around Isaia's neck, trying to choke him into a knock out. Isaia punched at the kid's side, looking for a weak point. His vision was starting to go dark when the entire training arena lit up with flashing red lights and alarms started wailing.

He and the green kid jumped up immediately, startled into ending the sparring session. Around them, trainees were frozen, wondering what that noise meant for them.

"No one move," their trainer, Torpak, growled, his hand on the weapon in his belt.

This was it, this was their chance. He had to get Theo so they could run and find Josie and get Mr. Sam and _leave_. He and Theo talked about escaping every day, or they had until the Galra had taken Josie. Now he spent most of his time keeping Theo from attacking everyone.

Above them, a voice boomed out over what had to be a loudspeaker. " _A breach has occurred in the main hangar bay, all prisoners are to be returned to their cells_."

A breach? Did that mean the ship was getting attacked? For a split second, Isaia let himself hope that it was Hunk. He had promised…but now Isaia knew that had been a trick. He tossed the hope to the side and mentally pounded it into the floor. He knew it couldn't be true because the Galra could make up all sorts of illusions, and he had fought things that looked exactly like Hunk since that day in the throne room. Mr. Sam was the only one who thought that maybe the video feed hadn't been faked. Isaia knew better. His brother wasn't going to come save him.

But that didn't mean he was just going to stand there.

Looking around the room, he spotted Theo sitting at the edge of a sparring circle, his legs splayed out in front of him. He stared intently at the younger boy, willing him to feel that someone was watching him. A few moments later, Theo lifted his head and started looking around until he met Isaia's eyes. The flashing alarm lights made it difficult to communicate, but Isaia subtly pointed toward the door, which got a nod from Theo.

The second Torpak turned to talk to another trainer, Isaia bolted, zigzagging to avoid the laser shots that whizzed past his head an instant later. They wouldn't kill him, but if he got hit, he would definitely wind up on the floor unable to move.

He glanced up to see Theo racing for the door, a blunt practice sword in his right hand. Man, he should have grabbed a weapon, too. Anything would have worked.

Around the room, other trainee kids hollered and yelled, cheering for them as they made a break for it. No one had ever escaped before, but then again, there had never been a breach before. Maybe this was their moment.

Isaia surged forward and fell into step beside Theo, their boots pounding against the training floor as they tried to get to the door. Almost there, almost there, please—

He saw the flash of purple armor before it slammed into him and Theo, forcing them both to the floor. Isaia immediately tried to get up, shoving against the Galra's arm, but there was no give. On the other side of the massive trainer, Theo cursed and spat like a furious stray cat. He even tried to claw the Galra's face, but the trainer simply held him farther away as he got to his feet, dragging them with him.

"That was moronic, even for humans," he said. His grip on Isaia's upper arm was crushing, and he leaned toward the trainer, trying to get some relief. The trainer shook him, and it felt like his arm was about to be ripped out of the socket. On the trainer's other side, Theo yelped and dropped his practice sword.

Another trainer walked up, this one smaller and more hesitant. "Evear, the prince wants those two brought to his personal vessel," he said, waving a hand at Isaia and Theo. "Take them there."

"Vrepit sa," the Galra said, repeating that dumb catch phrase of theirs.

A personal vessel? Like a different spaceship? If they were going to another spaceship, that meant they might be leaving Mr. Sam and Josie behind. Theo must have figured that out too because twisted and shouted, pulling at the trainer's hand on his arm as the huge Galra dragged them toward the door.

They were marched down the hallway, heading away from the prisoner levels. Isaia couldn't remember ever being in this part of the ship, but then again, it wasn't like the Galra had been giving out free tours.

"My sister!" Theo yelled, punching at the Galra with his free hand. "You can't leave her. Hey!"

The Galra trainer snorted and lifted Theo up by his arm, dangling him in the air. "Stop your whining before I get annoyed."

Theo gave wordless scream and snagged the Galra's arm with his other hand so he could swing forward. He kicked out, catching the Galra in the mouth. It surprised him enough to drop Theo, and the nine-year-old landed on his feet, only stumbling a little.

Theo looked surprised that he had actually gotten away, but Isaia automatically grabbed the Galra and pulled at hard as he could, trying to put him off balance. It was like trying to pull down a brick wall, at least until Theo dropped down and slammed his boot into the trainer's knee. The Galra didn't fall, but his leg did buckle and he let go on Isaia to try and grab Theo. The nine-year-old rolled to the side, dodging the Galra's claws, and Isaia sprang forward, trying to get out of reach.

Taking Theo by the arm, he pulled the other boy to his feet and they took off.

"Where are we going?" Theo asked, "Isaia!"

"Dude, I don't know, just run!"

They flew down the hallway, taking turns at random and eventually losing the trainer. How did you get off a spaceship? Weren't there escape pods? But they needed to get Josie and Mr. Sam. Part of Isaia wanted to go, to just leave, even if that meant leaving them behind. He just wanted to get away from here and go home and see his family. Maybe that made him a horrible person, but he was scared and maybe they would never get another chance. But he also wanted to help them. What was he supposed to do?

He and Theo barreled into a new corridor, and Isaia instantly had to duck to avoid getting smacked in the face by something flying through the air. It hit the ground and slid back into the hall they had just come from. His mouth fell open when he realized that it was the head of one of those robot sentries.

Man, those did not just _come off_.

That's when he saw a guy in armor swing a red and white sword through what remained of the sentry. The torso dropped to the floor in pieces, and Isaia took a step back. Hey, he knew that guy. It was Mullet, from the Garrison where Hunk and Lance went to school. He and Theo had once pulled a prank on him a really long time ago. He had been in the faked video that the Galra had made, the one from the throne room. What was going on? Was this some kind of really messed up, elaborate training exercise? One that made them think that they got to escape then took it all away?

Another sentry exploded, and the boys ducked as pieces of it flew back toward them. When Isaia straightened up, he saw something that crushed him and convinced him this was a training exercise.

There was a second armored man, this one taller, broader, with a massive gun at his side. That was what had scattered the sentry into a thousand pieces. The face that stared back at Isaia was so familiar, that stunned expression captured perfectly.

"Isaia?" It was Hunk's voice, catching on his name, but there was no way that could be his brother.

Hot tears sprang to Isaia's eyes even as his foot slid back, getting him into a position he could attack from. He wished that was Hunk. He wanted it to be Hunk.

But that was just another Galra fake, one he had to take out.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

Hunk's relief was bone deep as he put away his bayard and stepped toward Isaia, his arms outstretched. His little brother looked worn out, bruised and bloodied, but he was _there_ and whole, and Hunk wanted to grab him. Nightmares of Isaia being tortured by the Galra had taken over his life ever since they had found out the kids had been taken. Now he had the chance to rescue his brother, and he was going to seize it.

"Hunk, wait." Keith's hand landed on his elbow, but Hunk pulled away.

He reached for Isaia, ready to drag him into a hug, but his brother ducked under his arm and slipped behind him. A sharp kick to the back of his knee made Hunk stumble forward.

Shock stopped him. He was aware enough to hold up his arms when Theo jumped at him, throwing a punch at the black part of his armor. Isaia rushed him, slamming an elbow into his side before Hunk could get out of the way.

"Hey, no, you'll hurt yourself," Hunk said, startled and worried. They were aiming for the black, softer parts of his paladin uniform and they had on light armor, but they could still bruise themselves. And what were they doing? This didn't make any sense. He pulled off his helmet, tossing it to the side. "Isaia, it's me, it's Hunk. You're okay, buddy, it's okay."

Isaia's face was red and he looked torn even as he clenched his hands into fists. "Theo, go high."

Theo raced toward Hunk, who immediately backed up, holding up his hands. "Guys, quit!"

Keith darted in front of him and brought out his gauntlet shield, blocking Theo as he jumped into the air. The kid bounced off the shield, landed on the ground, and scrambled back to his feet.

"Be careful!" Hunk said, grabbing Keith's arm. Whatever was going on, they couldn't hurt Isaia or Theo. A deep well of nervousness opened in Hunk's stomach as possibilities ran through his head. Were they brainwashed?

"He's fine, it was just a block." Keith stepped back beside Hunk, his shield still activated and his eyes on the kids. "We're not here to hurt you, so you can stop attacking Hunk."

"Really? Okay, we'll believe you even though you just hit me with a shield," Theo said, glaring.

"I didn't hit you, you ran into it," Keith said.

"Whatever, you hit me."

Keith huffed and deactivated his shield. "You're definitely Lance's little brother."

Theo's face flushed at Lance's name, and he bared his teeth. "Shut up!"

"Theo, don't talk to it, it just wants to make you mad," said Isaia.

"'It?'" Keith said, raising an eyebrow.

Hunk stared at his little brother, wondering if that brainwashing theory was correct. "Isaia, come on, it's me," he said, holding his arms out to the side, vulnerable. "I just want to take you home."

The tears that began to dribble down his little brother's cheeks threatened to destroy Hunk. "My brother is dead."

Not this again, hadn't he proved that he was alive the other day? They had been on a live video at the same time and everything. "No, look at me, I'm not dead. And please don't cry." He could feel his own eyes starting to fill. "You know I can't handle that."

"Stop it!" Isaia said, wiping the back of his wrist across his cheeks. "You're not him!"

Hunk instinctively moved toward him but stopped when Isaia dropped back, his entire frame screaming tension and defense. Isaia trembled, his hands shaking, and Hunk knew it wasn't all rage. He knew that expression on Isaia's face, the look in his eyes.

His little brother was _scared_ of him.

"Isaia…" Hunk lowered his arms, trying to not panic. There wasn't any time to fall apart, he had to fix this. He threw himself into overdrive as he tried to come up with a solution. "Ask me something only I would know. Like what we did with Mom's picture frame I broke? Or where we buried your report card last year." Anything that would be specific to the two of them. "I'll answer whatever you ask me."

"That doesn't work," Isaia snapped, "You know everything I know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Keith asked. He and Theo were still looking at each other, and it seemed like Theo was sizing Keith up, getting ready to take him on.

"I don't know…" Hunk said helplessly, and then thought back to what Shiro had said about his fight with Zarkon's scary witch lady. How she had made him fight a version of himself. How the Galra were experts at mind games. Oh wait. "Hold on, Isaia, I'm not a fake me! I'm real."

"That's exactly what fake people say," Theo said, "We're not dumb."

Isaia frowned and took a step back, closer to Theo. "The fakes usually don't argue this much."

Yes, there we go, maybe they were getting somewhere.

"Aw, c'mon, Isaia!" Theo jerked a hand at Hunk and Keith, his eyes dark. "How could they be here? Just when we're getting away?" He shook his head. "No way, it's a game."

"It isn't, we came for you," Hunk said, "We found out where you were, and we came to get you. Lance is here, too, Theo."

Theo jolted before bending down and swiping up one of the broken sentry's hands. He hurled it at Hunk, forcing him to step out of the way. "Don't talk about him!"

"Hey, don't do that again," Keith said, pointing at Theo. "Lay off."

Theo grabbed another piece of a sentry, half of one's head this time, and flung it at Keith but the red paladin dodged it easily.

Isaia frowned and darted forward, going on the attack again and backing up Theo. Hunk's heart plummeted and his chest tightened. He didn't know how he was supposed to convince Isaia that this was real, that _he_ was here for him. So he did the only thing he could think of.

Pushing Keith to the side, Hunk dropped his arms and took the attack as both boys charged at him. He didn't block. He shifted when it seemed like one of them might punch a part of his armor that would hurt, but he didn't get out of the way. After a while, Theo jumped away, confusion on his face, but Isaia kept it up.

"Fight back!" he yelled, slamming his foot into Hunk's thigh.

Hunk grunted but didn't move. "No."

"Why not?!" Isaia's blows slowed down until he stopped completely, sweat dripping from his dark hair. He looked up at Hunk, panting.

"I don't want to," Hunk said. He knelt down so that he was more eye level with Isaia. "You can hit me as many times as you need to, I don't care." He gave a small smile, tilting his head to the side. "Just don't break your hand. I've got a hard head, remember?"

Isaia stared and then pulled his arm back, fist pointed at Hunk's face but his eyes locked onto Hunk's. Hunk looked back at him, ignoring the fist, willing his little brother to somehow recognize him for what he was.

Something seemed to break in Isaia's fierce expression. He lowered his fist. His hand shook as he reached forward and touched Hunk's shoulder tentatively, giving him a small shove.

"Is it really you?" Isaia asked.

"Definitely."

"You promise?"

"Yeah, Isaia, I promise," Hunk said, trying to smile again even though his heart was breaking. "I've missed you."

Isaia's face crumbled and he flung himself at Hunk, wrapping his arms around his neck. Sobs broke out as Hunk hugged Isaia tight, his hand on the back of his head. _Finally_.

"They said you were dead." Isaia snuffled, grabbing onto Hunk's armor. "Everyone thinks you're dead."

"I know, I'm sorry," Hunk said, squeezing his little brother. "I'm really sorry."

"Hunk, we need to go," Keith said, "We have to meet up with the others."

He didn't want to let go of Isaia, but he hugged him one last time and stood up. He kept one hand on Isaia's shoulder, not wanting him to be out of arm's reach.

"Isaia, you're not seriously leaving with them, are you?" Theo asked, blue eyes wide. "That's exactly what the Galra want you to do!"

"Look, Theo," Keith said, looking at the smaller boy, "Lance already has your little sister, and he's going to be waiting for you. We promised we'd bring you back, so you're going with us."

Theo perked up at the mention of his sister and then shut down again, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not leaving with you."

"You have to," Hunk said, "I'm not going to try and face Lance without you, and there's no way I'd leave you here anyway."

"I think they're telling the truth," Isaia said, sticking close to Hunk. "None of the other fakes acted like this, and he… I know this is Hunk."

"You don't know that."

Hunk looked at Theo. "It's not really a negotiation, buddy." He decided to do what he hoped Lance would do in the same situation. "Sorry, Theo." Lunging forward, he grabbed the boy and hauled him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, clamping down on his hands and ankles to keep the kid from thrashing around too much.

"Put me down!" Theo shouted, fear in his voice. It clawed at Hunk, but they couldn't stay there and argue with him any longer.

"Theo, calm down," Isaia said.

"Let go!"

"Lead the way, Keith," Hunk said.

Keith nodded and started to leave, but he bent down and grabbed Hunk's helmet first. He fiddled with the comm unit before putting it on Theo and lowering the shield. Now all of Theo's yells were swallowed by the helmet. "There we go."

Hunk felt guilty, but this was better than Theo shouting the whole way and giving away their location. "Let's get you guys out of here," he said to Isaia.

* * *

"Do you want me to carry her?"

Lance tightened his hold on Josie. "I'm okay."

"No, you're not," Shiro said gently, "You're limping, Lance."

Well, yes, Fearless Leader, brilliant observation. Lance bit down on his sarcasm and kept walking since he didn't have any exceptional comebacks.

His leg did feel like the Red Lion had spat lava breath on it, the rivulets gouging into his skin. The scratch marks that the druid had left behind were glowing a faint purple, which was trippy.

He and Shiro were making their way to the second hangar and attempting to stay out of sight as much as possible. Shiro had already sent a message to Allura, so the Castle of Lions and the _Outcast_ would be there soon, which meant help was on the way. Maybe this plan would actually work out, as crazy and multifaceted as it was.

"I know how much those hurt," Shiro said, gesturing to the claw marks, "And I don't mind carrying her. You'll be right there if she wakes up."

Ah, so Shiro knew what he was really worried about. Lance didn't want Josie to wake up to a stranger holding her, not after everything she had gone through. He snuggled his baby sister to him, his cheek resting against her head for a moment, reluctant to give her to anyone else. But his leg was throbbing and his arms were starting to ache… If his leg buckled and he fell, he would hate himself if he dropped Josie.

"Okay, all right," he said, resigned, "But if she moves at all—"

"I'll hand her right back," Shiro said.

Lance carefully shifted Josie and put her into Shiro's arms, resting her against his shoulder. He let his hand linger on her still-wet hair before he pulled back, stretching to get some feeling back into his arms.

"Thanks, Shiro," Lance said quietly.

"No problem," Shiro said, holding Josie close.

Lance looked down at the glowing wounds on his leg. That looked nasty. Some time in the healing pods would get rid of those eventually.

They kept walking, Lance forcing himself to keep up with Shiro. He kept thinking about Theo and whether he and Isaia were all right, if Hunk and Keith had gotten to them. Then there was Pidge and Matt. They hadn't found their dad yet, and they were running out of time. Once Allura, Coran, and the others arrived, they would need to get out of here and hurry to Earth to help fight off Lotor's forces.

If this plan didn't work, if they couldn't get back to Earth, there was a chance that they could doom the whole planet.

No pressure.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Voltron!

A/N: Yayyy for Sam Holt, that man has been through a lot.

* * *

Chapter 14

This was taking too long, something was going to go wrong. Anxiety grasped Pidge's heart as she raced down the hallway with Matt, dodging sentries and the escaping prisoners. During the chaos someone must have punched the code to open the prison cell doors since there were aliens everywhere fighting back against the sentries and guards. They were going to need back-up to get all of the prisoners out of the base, but she was too focused on getting to her father to figure out how to even start that process.

There was a strong possibility that her and Matt's dad wouldn't even be in his cell by this point, but Pidge was ready to search the whole ship for him because she sure wasn't going to leave without him. Her dad was on board, and she was going to find him.

They rounded a corner and immediately had to jump apart, Pidge activating her wrist shield and Matt ducking behind an open door. The laser bolts shot by a pair of guards at the end of the hall burned through the air and pinged off Pidge's shield. Matt returned fire, his small handheld blaster shooting bright blue beams right back at them.

Pidge charged forward, catching a stream of shots with her shield as Matt fell in behind her. Together they rushed the guards, forcing them back as Pidge slammed into one with her bayard. Matt switched to his staff and landed a heavy swing against the other.

The guard Pidge struck rallied and kicked out at her, slamming her to the ground hard enough that her helmet bounced against the floor. She rolled to her feet, grateful for the cushion in her helmet, and she dodged a second blow from the guard. She was about to launch herself at the guard again when something seared her shoulder, burrowing through her armor. A scorched metal and flesh smell hit her a second before the pain did and she clapped her hand to her right shoulder, falling back against a wall.

"Katie!" Matt yelled, but he couldn't come to her rescue. The guard he was fighting wasn't relenting, no matter how many times Matt struck him with his electrified staff, and the guard Pidge had tried to take out turned on him as well.

She squinted against the tears that popped into her eyes, forcing herself to grit her teeth against burning sensation. A third guard had appeared, this one wielding what could only be called a laser machine gun. He aimed at Pidge again and she barely had enough time to raise her shield to deflect the beams.

An onslaught of shots battered the shield, enough to stress it to the limits of its defensive capabilities. There was probably an 80% chance that it would fail in the next 30 seconds if the guard kept shooting at the same rate.

A way out, she needed to calculate an escape. If she kept hiding behind her shield, it was going to give out and that guard would shoot her full of holes before she could move. Plus, Matt needed help, she had to save her brother.

She was about to try throwing her bayard at the guard when he suddenly staggered forward, the line of shots going wild. Pidge stood up, still holding her shield in front of her. A purple beam flashed from the end of the hall, striking the guard with a kill shot, and he went down hard. A second beam caught one of the guards that Matt had been fighting, and Matt followed it up with a final blow. Pidge shifted her plan of attack and flung her bayard at the remaining guard, lodging it in his armor. A surge of electricity traveled down the weapon's green energy rope, and the guard shook before dropping to the floor.

As her bayard retracted, Pidge looked away from her target to whoever had helped them, expecting one of the prisoners or maybe even Coran or someone from Matt's team to be there. Instead, she found her father leaning against the entryway, a laser rifle in his hands.

"Dad?"

"Your armor, I recognized it," he said, sounding dazed. He stared back at her, his eyes glowing that faint purple she had noticed in the video feed. He blinked and they became a dull silvery white with purple irises as he looked from her to Matt, who was frozen in place. "I…You're both really here, aren't you? I thought it was another dream, but it isn't." His jaw trembled. "Right?"

Pidge sprang forward, racing down the end of the hall until she slammed into her dad, wrapping her arms around him. The laser wound in her shoulder screamed about how squeezing him so hard was a bad idea, but she ignored the pain. Matt collided with them, and Pidge sunk into the moment, the tension of a year and a half's worth breaking inside her.

Finally. She had both of them back, and no one was going to pull them away from her ever again. She had searched the entire universe for her brother and her father, and now she had them with her.

Broken, battered, changed, but still, it was _them_.

The only thing that would have made it perfect would have been if her and Matt's mom was there too.

"I thought you were dead," her dad was saying, his forehead pressed against Matt's. "I was sure they killed you."

"Not yet," Matt said, smiling even though he was crying. "It's a long story. I'll tell you the whole thing later."

"And Katie, Katie Bell, what in the world are you doing here?" Her father pulled her helmet off, dropping it on the floor before he pressed his hands to her cheeks. "Sweetheart, I could've sworn we left you on Earth."

His feeble attempt at a joke made her break into a fresh wave of tears. Her dad pulled her and Matt close again, holding them tight. She could feel how skinny he had become during his time in captivity as she clung to him, her forehead against his chest.

"It's a long story, like Matt said," she choked out.

Her dad kissed the top of her head. "I want to hear all about it."

"We have to go," Matt said, pulling back from the other two, "We have to meet the others at the hanger for extraction."

Right, they had to get out of here. Pidge nodded and reached for her helmet, but the pain in her shoulder stopped her short.

"You're hurt," her dad said, reaching out and turning her toward him. He looked at the scorched hole in her armor, concern creasing his forehead. "You need to get that looked at."

"I will later," she said, snapping her helmet up with her good arm, "But right now, we need to go save Earth 'cause Lotor is a nutjob and planning on blowing it up. Gotta make sure he loses."

"Of course. Colleen..." Her dad started to move and then hesitated for a split second. "The kids? Did someone—"

"Yes," Pidge said, cutting him off, "Lance already got his sister, and Hunk and Keith are going after the boys."

"They found Josie?"

"Lance and Shiro did," Pidge said, glad to deliver some good news.

Her dad straightened, his eyes wide. "Shiro's here too?"

"Yep, we'll see him at the rendezvous."

"That boy never ceases to amaze."

"We're going to have to call in reinforcements," Matt said, echoing her earlier thoughts, "We can't leave all these people behind."

"We'll figure that out once we get Voltron to Earth," she said. While she cared about rescuing the others on board the ship, there were billions of lives at stake back home. The weight of that was pulling on her, pushing her toward despair, but she was going to struggle through it. "We'll send a couple ships back to take care of them."

Once Voltron was in Earth's solar system, they could probably spare those ships, but right now? It made her feel heartless, but she had to consider the consequences if they pulled anyone from the fight at the moment.

"Let's go," she said, grabbing her dad's hand and heading off toward the hangar bay. Now that she had her dad and brother, she had to make sure her mom was going to be okay. Because if Lotor won, if he destroyed Earth… No, that wasn't going to happen, not if she had anything to do with it.

* * *

A/N: Also, okay, the Holt reunion was basically a Molly Weasley "not my daughter" trope but I couldn't resist Sam protecting his beloved nerd children. I needed it…


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!

A/N: This chapter contains a long-awaited bro-sis reunion that I couldn't put off any longer because I couldn't STAND IT any longer.

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

Getting to the second hangar bay would have been a lot easier if Theo was more cooperative. Hunk kept having to readjust his hold on the nine-year-old as he squirmed and wriggled, trying to escape. It didn't help that they kept running into sentries that Keith had to fight off by himself since Hunk was busy carrying Theo.

"Isaia, stay back," Hunk said for the fiftieth time. Isaia kept trying to jump in and give Keith a hand with the sentries, but Hunk wanted him to stay as far away from the fighting as possible.

"I can help," Isaia replied, on his toes as he leaned toward the battle.

"I think you're hurt enough," Hunk said, stepping in front of Isaia. His gaze flicked to the rough line of stitches on Isaia's leg and the bandage around his head, not to mention the bruises. So many bruises. "Besides, Keith can handle it."

As he spoke, a robotic sentry's head came flying toward them, and Hunk had to step out of the way to avoid getting hit. "See?"

"If I get a blaster, can I help?" Isaia said. He peeked around Hunk to watch Keith as he hacked his way through the last sentry.

"No way, no guns," Hunk said. He tried to squash down his concern at his brother's willingness to fight. Then again, Isaia had always liked sparring and self-defense and been a physical sort of kid. He wasn't the kind of person to stand back and let others fight for him.

Isaia frowned at him. "It's not really fair, you get a giant gun."

"Isaia, bro, little buddy, we're not having this argument right now, okay?"

"It isn't."

"Isaia."

"Fine."

The last sentry fell to the floor in pieces, and Keith walked back over to them, his bayard transforming back into its neutral form. He looked up at Theo, who was still laying across Hunk's shoulders. "No way we can get him to walk on his own, is there?"

"Nope," Isaia said, shaking his head, "He doesn't like you guys." He flicked his dark eyes at Hunk. "And he still thinks you're a zombie or a fake or something."

"I'll just keeping carrying him," Hunk said, "Sorry, Keith."

"It's okay," the red paladin replied, shrugging.

"How do you get it to do that?" Isaia said, pointing at Keith's bayard, "How come Hunk's boomerang turns into a gun and yours is a sword?" He looked up at Hunk as they all started walking, Keith taking the lead while Hunk and Isaia followed.

"It's a bayard, not a boomerang," Keith said.

Hunk grinned just a little. Oh wow, if someone's bayard turned into a boomerang though. So far most of them turned into swords or guns, except for Pidge who had a, er, taser-grappling hook thing. Shiro's was a sword, but he forgot about it half the time. He still wasn't used to using it, even though he trained with it practically every day.

"Looks like a boomerang," Isaia countered.

"No, it doesn't," Keith said, looking offended. "How does it look like a boomerang at all?"

"Can yours be a sword?" Isaia asked Hunk, ignoring Keith's affronted glower.

"I don't know," Hunk said, "I never really tried to make it be one."

"Can I use it? I can make it be a sword," Isaia said confidently.

What was the deal? Isaia was really hung up on having a weapon…maybe he would feel safer if he had one? That was a super depressing thought, but it sort of made sense. If Isaia had spent the past few weeks fighting, wanting a weapon of some sort so he could defend himself was probably normal. But it still made Hunk feel terrible. Isaia was ten, he shouldn't feel like he needed anything like that so he could protect himself.

They stepped into another corridor, making their way to the second hangar bay by following the map Keith had. Isaia was still trying to convince Hunk to hand over his bayard when one of the doors that lined the hall slid open and Pidge nearly collided with Keith. The red paladin reached out and grabbed her to steady her, but she let out a yelp.

"Ow, Keith, let go," she said, pulling away.

He yanked his hand back, eyes narrowed. "What's wrong, what happened?"

"Are you okay?" Hunk said, hurrying over. Isaia followed more cautiously, watching Pidge as if she might turn on them.

"Galra got in a good shot," she said, making an absent gesture to the burn hole on her shoulder armor. "You must be Isaia," she said, looking at the kid. She turned toward Hunk and then tilted her head to the side. "Is that Theo?"

"Yeah, he sorta didn't want to come with us," Hunk said, embarrassed that he hadn't been able to convince the nine-year-old.

"At least you guys got him."

Matt stepped through the doorway, followed by Captain Holt. Hunk would have saluted him if he wasn't holding onto Theo. Or maybe he would have hugged him? It was just so fantastic that he was okay. In any case, it was good to see that Pidge and Matt had found their dad, and now they had everyone, so it was on to phase two, aka Save Earth.

"Have either of you heard from Era or the two Blades?" Matt asked, "We haven't been able to get any of them on the comms."

"No, sorry, man," Hunk said before biting his lower lip.

Crap, if Era hadn't contacted Matt yet, something bad had probably happened to her. She shouldn't have taken that distraction job, it put her in too much danger. They should've figured out some other way to get in without putting anybody at risk like that.

"Mr. Sam!" Isaia shouted. He dashed over to Captain Holt and latched onto him, hugging him tight. "You're okay!"

Captain Holt hugged Isaia back and then put a hand on his shoulder as he looked over at Hunk. "Is that your brother?"

"Yep, that's Hunk," Isaia said, "He's not dead now."

"Glad to hear it," Captain Holt said, straightening up. He tilted his head, much like his daughter, and focused in on Theo. "I think you can put him down now, son. I'll get him to come with us."

"Are you sure?" Hunk said, "I don't mind carrying him, and he's pretty against the whole let's-go idea."

"We have to get going," Matt said anxiously, "The _Outcast_ and the Castle should be here soon."

"We need to find Lotor before that," Keith said, fury in his dark eyes.

That would be fitting. That guy had kidnapped Hunk and Lance's little siblings, hurt Pidge's dad, threatened them, and was prepared to destroy their home planet. Hunk felt a mighty sense of rage toward him, too. But he also knew that there was a good chance that dealing with Lotor wasn't going to be an option right now, no matter what he wanted. They needed to get the kids and Captain Holt out of there and get back to Earth to join the fight.

Going all yellow Hulk on Lotor might have to wait for another day.

* * *

The second hangar bay was much smaller than the first one, and it seemed to house mostly damaged ships. Pieces of cruisers and fighters lay scattered around the bay, ready to be put back together by technicians. It was like a spaceship graveyard.

By the time Lance and Shiro arrived, Coran, Allura, and the crew of the _Outcast_ were already there and busy clearing out the guards and sentries.

Lance let out a shout as Zyrill, the _Outcast_ 's tiny pilot, appeared on his shoulder. Four-armed and covered in grey-green fur-like moss, Zyrill looked like some kind of mutant lemur-owl. He also had the uncanny ability to teleport.

The alien grabbed a chunk of Lance's hair as he looked over at Shiro. "Hey, where're our kids?" Zyrill demanded, "See you got yours."

"Matt's on his way, but no one's reached Era," Shiro said, "You should go look for her, she should be in other hangar bay."

"Better be," Zyrill said before disappearing again.

"She's going to be all right," Shiro said, but Lance had a feeling he was saying it more to reassure himself. Still, Lance nodded. He liked Era, too, but he wasn't as close to her or the rest of the _Outcast_ crew as Shiro was. The black paladin had spent a few months with the _Outcast_ crew and had been adopted into their space family as well. Shiro had to be pretty worried about her right now.

Speaking about worried...why hadn't Josie woken up yet? Lance looked at his little sister who was pressed up against Shiro's shoulder, her hair sticking to his armor. What if she never woke up? She didn't seem sick anymore, he had checked her for a fever while he was holding her, but what if the Galra had done something to her, like put her in a coma? No, she had to wake up.

As they crossed the hangar bay, Lance thought that he saw her fingers twitch, but she didn't lift her head or move. He must have imagined it because he wanted it to happen so badly. Coran and Allura rushed toward them, Allura wielding her staff while Coran had a pair of handheld blasters.

"You got her, fantastic!" Coran said, beaming at Lance. "How is she?"

How was he supposed to answer that? He didn't know what to say. Luckily, Allura broke in, momentarily saving him from the explanation.

"Where are the other paladins?" she asked as she stopped beside Shiro. "We need to hurry, we've been getting reports from the front. You need to form Voltron as quickly as possible."

"They're on their way," Shiro said, adjusting his hold on Josie, "What's going on?"

"Lotor's forces have started their attack on your planet," Allura said, shadows in her eyes. She was probably remembering Altea and its last days at the hands of the Galra. "Our ships are holding them back, but they can't hold the line for long, not without Voltron's help."

Ice cut through Lance's veins. All of those people, the rest of his family, his home… They had to get back to Earth. The entire plan had hinged on Voltron being able to help in the fight back in their solar system, and the longer they stayed on the ship the more they endangered their planet. While Lance tried not to freak out, Shiro filled Allura in on the current situation. They both agreed that help would have to be sent back as soon as possible to help the prisoners and the kids who had been on the training deck.

"Got yourself a nasty set of clawmarks there, Number Three," Coran said, startling Lance. He bent down and peered at Lance's leg, fingers hovering near the wounds as he inspected them. "Does it hurt?"

"It's sort of burny, sort of stabby," Lance said absently, still thinking about Earth's potential destruction.

"Mmm, well, you'll be fine after some time in a pod," Coran said.

"Lance?"

He jerked his head up, recognizing that soft, scared voice. Josie was still resting against Shiro's shoulder, but her grey-blue eyes were open and looking right at him.

Lance made a strangled sound that might have been her name and lunged forward, pulling her out of Shiro's arms and into his.

"You're okay, you're okay," he said on repeat, having a hard time believing it himself. Part of the fear that he had been carrying with him since they found out the kids had been taken peeled away. He wound up sitting down on the floor, hugging her to him, trying not to squeeze her too hard. But she was awake, she was here, he finally had her. He just wanted to hold her tight and never let her go again.

Her thin arms wrapped around his neck and her forehead dropped against his shoulder. She sniffled, stifling a sob.

"Hey, _pajarita_ ," he said, pressing his cheek to her hair, "Hey, Josie, you're safe. I've got you, I promise, I won't let you go. No one's going to take you ever again."

She pulled back, her hands on his shoulders. Tears made tracks down her face, cutting through the grime of the service tunnels they had trekked through and remnants of the liquid she had been floating in. "Missed you," she choked out before burying her face in the crook of his neck. "Why'd you go?"

If a question could ever break him, it was that one, asked so quietly and so plaintively but without any bitter accusation. Just a pitiful sadness from a baby sister who missed him.

"I'm so sorry, Josie, I didn't mean to." Lance nuzzled her and rubbed circles against her back, unable to stop himself from crying. He could only imagine the pain he had caused her and the rest of his family since he had been gone. "I missed you, too. So much." He pulled away slightly, trying to get a better look at her. "How did you know I wasn't really gone?"

"Just knew," she mumbled.

Of course she did, she always knew that kind of thing. Like how she had known something was going to happen to him right before he flew off into space in a lion-spaceship. Josie had a knack for knowing things that she shouldn't.

He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "How're you feeling? You looked like you were sick." Even though he knew she wasn't running a fever, he pulled off his gauntlet and rested a hand against her forehead.

"I feel funny," she mumbled, leaning into his touch, "Not sick anymore. Tired. My hands hurt."

"Oh…" The backs of her hands and her ankles were probably hurting where the needles had been inserted. There were little pinpricks of blood in those places, and he wished he could make the pain go away. "We'll fix it soon. But don't go to sleep."

"Won't," she said, but she looked like she might drop off again at any moment. He rubbed her arm to try to get her to wake up some more.

"No sleeping."

Josie yawned and nodded. "Where's Theo?"

"Hunk and Keith are bringing him here with Isaia," Lance said, pushing some of her hair back from her face. "Then we're going to get out of here."

"Are we going home?" she asked, "I want Mama and Papa."

"Me too," he said, smiling a little, "We'll go home soon."

They just had to save it first.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!

A/N: Collect kids, check. Find Sam Holt, check. Assemble the group? Working on it. Gotta go save Earth now. This chapter was sort of a struggle, so sorry in advance for any shaky writing. It'll get better! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

Lance struggled to his feet, holding Josie tight and ignoring the searing pain that was tearing through his leg. There wasn't really any time to deal with that right now. It would have to wait. His leg threatened to fold under him, but Coran reached out and steadied him, his hand under Lance's elbow.

Josie shrank away from Coran and pressed herself against Lance's opposite shoulder. Lance caught her gaze flicking from Coran's pointed ears to the marks on his cheeks and back again.

"Hello there," Coran said gently, giving a tiny wave, "Heard a lot about you."

Josie trembled and buried her face against Lance's neck, hiding.

He rubbed her back, trying calm her. "It's okay, he's my friend. He's a good guy, his name is Coran." Josie never had liked meeting new people, and he imagined that would only be worse now, especially since she seemed to have caught on to the fact that Coran wasn't human. Was she afraid of aliens now? It wasn't like she had any positive experiences with them…

Coran scrunched his nose up and suddenly his ears shrank, becoming round, and the marks under his eyes faded away. Huh, human Coran. That was a new one. "It's nice to meet you, little miss."

"Hey," Lance said, bumping his head against hers, trying to get her to look up. When she did, she blinked at Coran, her hand coming up to absently rub at the top of one of her own ears. Her hold around Lance's neck loosened just a bit, but she didn't say anything to Coran.

"It's all right," Coran said, nodding his head to her, "It's a bit much to take in, isn't it?"

"She's just a little overwhelmed," Lance said. That was an understatement.

While the others talked, weapons at the ready, Lance watched the door, wondering where Hunk and Theo and the others were. They needed to get out of the massive Galra ship and back to Earth before that Empire fleet could do serious damage.

Even with all of the help that they had, without Voltron the rebels wouldn't have much of a chance. The massive robot would be the decisive factor in the battle, and if they didn't get there in time… His parents' faces flashed in front of his eyes, then his siblings, the rest of his family, friends, people from his hometown— Everyone was depending on them, and no one on Earth even realized it.

Absently, he swayed where he stood, gently rocking Josie as if she was a baby again and taking some weight off his injured leg. He didn't want her to go to sleep, but he also wanted to comfort her. They needed to talk, but now wasn't the time. The white streaks in her hair kept catching his attention, but he didn't think she had really noticed them yet.

Josie jerked her head up and whipped toward one of the doors, her hand grabbing the collar of Lance's armor. She stared at it anxiously and started breathing quickly.

"What's wrong?" Lance asked, trying to turn her away from the door, but she shifted so it stayed in her sight. "Talk to me…"

Shiro glanced over and then moved toward them. "What is it?"

"I don't know," Lance said, worried, "Josie?

"Hide," she said in a frantic whisper, "Please hide!"

"What, why?" Lance looked toward the door she was watching, and a second later, it slid open and laser bolts blasted into the hangar. Immediately Lance turned around, shielding his sister. Shiro stepped in front of Lance and raised his shield, deflecting a bolt that would have struck the blue paladin in the back.

"Thanks," Lance said shakily.

A group of Galra guards and sentries stormed through the door, adding a healthy dash of danger to the already poor situation. Fear flashed through Lance. The others were supposed to be coming to the hangar; had these guys found them instead?

His bayard materialized and formed into his new shield, larger and sturdier than the wrist shield they all had. He held it in front of himself and Josie and moved back as Allura and Iwari barreled past him, Iwari launching herself into the middle of the enemy troops while Allura's energy whip cracked across the front line. The other two crew members of the Outcast, Nevan and the Galra named Talax, rushed after them, taking out sentries.

Shiro stayed in front of Lance, using his bayard instead of his arm, and Coran joined him, toting a rather large and impressive gun. Josie whimpered and tucked her head against Lance's shoulder.

"Hold on, squirt." Lance kept her pressed tight to his chest with one arm, trusting her to cling to him so he could keep his shield up.

The noise in the hangar bay became nearly unbearable, filled with laser shots, yelling, robots exploding. Bending down, Lance snatched up his helmet and plunked it down on Josie's head, rapidly fiddling with the controls to cut off the sound and bring the full shield down. Her blue eyes were round as she looked at him from behind the glass, and he gave her a quick smile to let her know everything was fine. Peachy. Not scary at all.

"Guys, you need to be careful," Shiro said after activating his communicator, "We just got attacked in here, so it's messy."

"We're on our way," came the huff of a reply from Keith, "Hold on."

"We'll catch them from behind," Pidge cut in.

That sounded promising, like some kind of vice maneuver. It was something they had practiced before on the training floor and they had more people now, so it would hopefully work.

Another couple shots bounced off the shield, and Lance scowled. Staying in one place made him into too much of a target, even with Shiro and Coran covering him. He looked down at Josie and thought about setting her down, hiding her among the spare parts in the hangar. But he couldn't. He had a terrible feeling that if he put her down now something awful would happen to her. He was probably just paranoid now, but he felt like he was justified in his fears in light of recent events. However, it did mean he couldn't use his bayard in its normal shotgun form since it required two hands.

An explosion near the doorway caught his attention, and he spotted yellow, red, and green through the Galra soldiers. With the enemy was trapped between two groups of fighters, the Galra were shortly dispatched. Lance was glad his helmet was cutting out the sound, so at least Josie was spared a little bit of the chaos. When the last sentry went down, Lance dropped his shield and raced toward Hunk, trying to spot Theo. He knew Hunk had Theo but he didn't see him—

"Hunk!" Lance yelled, rushing up to his best friend.

"Hey, I got Theo, he's fine," Hunk said, his bayard disappearing, "He's in the hallway with the captain and Isaia." He saw Josie and for a second he looked shocked but he swiftly squashed that expression and waved at her, getting a tiny wave back. Hunk met his eyes again, frowning. "What happened to your leg, buddy? That looks nasty."

"It's a long story," Lance said, heading for the hallway and pulling the helmet off of Josie's head with his free hand. He jerked to a halt when Isaia and Captain Holt stepped out of the hall, the captain pushing a reluctant Theo in front of him. The captain was holding Hunk's helmet in one hand and he had a firm grip on Theo's shoulder with the other.

"Hey, Lance, glad you're not dead too," Isaia said, seeming to take all of this in stride. His eyes lit up at the sight of Josie. "You got her!"

"That's a relief," Captain Holt said with a half-smile, "You must be Lance."

Lance hardly heard him. He was too busy staring at Theo. His little brother had grown a couple inches since Lance had last seen him back on Earth, and his hair was shorter. There were still bandages wrapped around his right arm, and he had a new scratch that stretched across his left cheek.

Theo froze and stepped back, bumping into the captain. His face paled.

Lance wanted to race over and sweep Theo up in a hug, but he also knew that his little brother was convinced he was dead. He didn't want to traumatize him any more than he already was, but he had to figure out some way to convince him that he was the real deal. That this wasn't a huge terrible lie.

Josie began to squirm, one hand reaching out to Theo, but Lance didn't loosen his grip on her.

Theo's eyes filled with tears. "Let her go," he said, looking from Josie to Lance, "Put her down."

Josie squished her cheek to Lance's for a second as she hugged him. "He's scared," she said close to his ear, "And mad."

"I don't blame him," Lance said. Hesitantly, he set Josie down, expecting her to run over to Theo. Instead, she took his hand and led him with her, walking slowly so he could keep up with his limp. He could do this. He could convince Theo he wasn't dead.

Somehow.

* * *

A/N: Come on, Theo! Btw, if you like AUs, I started writing a conquered-Earth AU where the Blade of Marmora members sort of end up raising the young paladins. Some of the OCs from here will pop up there! The first fic is up, and it's called "Go Forth and Have No Fear," where Ulaz finds 11-year-old Lance and his younger siblings.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own VLD!

A/N: Theoooooooo! I've been waiting for this for A WHILE, and yet somehow it still didn't turn out exactly how I thought it would... Theo is complicated.

* * *

Chapter 17

When they were a couple feet away from Theo, Lance pulled on Josie's hand, stopping her from going any further. It was the wary, calculating expression on Theo's face that had made Lance stop. Theo looked like he wanted to grab Josie and bolt, and Lance couldn't take the chance that he would try it. There was no way he would get far, Lance would tackle him before letting him go. Still, that wouldn't win over Theo.

All he wanted to do was snatch Theo up and hug him, keep him safe, but he knew Theo would freak out if he tried it. "Hey, Theo," he said, shifting awkwardly and squeezing Josie's hand for comfort. What was he supposed to say? "Are you okay?"

No, no, that's not what he wanted to say, of course Theo wasn't okay. He had been held captive in an alien spaceship because his brother was a big, thoughtless moron. He was the complete opposite of okay.

"Don't feel bad," Josie mumbled, squeezing Lance's hand back. Wilting, she reached up to rub the knuckles of her free hand against her eyelid. How did she…

No, nope, he couldn't think about that right now. Josie was just really tuned into how he felt, she always had been. She knew his moods, and it wasn't weird for her to comment on them. And it wasn't weird that she had known that they were going to get attacked before anyone else realized it, before the door even opened. Lance shoved that potential wave of anxiety right back where it came from.

Josie was all right. She was _fine_.

Theo took a hesitant step away from Captain Holt, watching Lance closely. "Josie, come here."

The six-year-old looked up at Lance, and he reluctantly let go of her hand. "I need your help, _pajarita_ ," he said quietly, "I don't think he's going to believe me."

She nodded. "'kay." With a yawn, she turned toward Theo and patted Lance's knee. "He's not a not-Lance. He's a real Lance."

"Just come here," Theo said, not budging.

Josie shook her head and sat down in front of Lance. "You come here."

"No, you."

"Theo, please," Lance said, realizing that it was about to devolve into a battle of wills between his little siblings, "I'm really not dead, and I'm me. The real me version of me." ' _Wow, great job, sharpshooter_ ,' he thought to himself, ' _Totally would have been convinced if I was a skeptical, pissed off kid_.' He fumbled, trying to figure out the best way to explain everything. "I made a, well, um, really quick decision and sort of got shot into space in a big robot lion, and now I'm a paladin for a big mech robot, and, man, I'm sorry. I didn't expect any of this to happen."

"You're lying," Theo said, crossing his arms over his chest, "We had a funeral and everything. And if he was alive, Lance would've told us somehow. He would've know how sad it would make our mom and dad, and he wouldn't do that to Mama."

 _Ouch._ "I couldn't. We couldn't contact Earth. It was too dangerous." They had been trying to avoid situations like the one they were in right now.

Theo scowled. "Shut up," he snapped, "You're not Lance, and that's not Hunk or Mullet or the Pidge kid. This is all fake."

"Theo, you know that's not true," Captain Holt said. He was flanked by Matt and Pidge, both of whom wouldn't leave his side. He reached out to grasp Theo's shoulder, but the kid dodged, moving to the side. "I know the Galra tricked you a few times, but this is really happening. Doesn't it feel different to you?"

"No," Theo said stubbornly, "They just want to mess with us." He shot a glare at Lance and then narrowed his eyes at Josie. "She's probably fake, too."

"Am not," Josie said, and then paused, looking down at her hands and the purple stars that stained her skin. The quintessence that the Galra had been feeding into her veins had left marks, and Lance hoped they weren't permanent. She tilted her head to the side and glanced at her hair, her fingers raising to hesitantly tug one of the unnatural white streaks before jerking back like it had stung her. She looked at Lance, her eyes huge and suddenly frightened. "I'm the real me?"

The question in her voice made him reach out and yank her into his arms, snuggling her close. "Definitely." He knew that it was really her, without even a sliver of doubt. He knew her better than anyone besides maybe their parents, and he knew she was real. He frowned at Theo. "I know you're upset, but Josie's scared too, okay? Don't take it out on her."

Isaia stepped away from Hunk, moving toward Theo like he was approaching a wounded animal. "Come on, you know this isn't fake. The Galra couldn't fake things this well, and if they were, Josie wouldn't look like that. Lance wouldn't be like that. And we only ever saw the fakes in the training room."

"Maybe this is the next level," Theo said.

"Or it could be that our brothers are really here, and we're going to go home. Don't you want to go home?"

"Just because you want to believe it's happening and that we're rescued when we're not—"

"You're being stupid!" Isaia yelled, dropping the logical reasoning, "Think about it, the Galra wouldn't go this far to trick us." He waved his hands at the hangar. "Look at all this! There are laser holes everywhere, and look at those robots!"

"Unless it's all in our heads. Or just my head," Theo said, his voice starting to tremble, "Maybe none of this is actually happening and the robe guys have me—"

"Stop." It was Shiro's voice, clear and loud as he walked up to the rest of them, heading toward Theo. The boy's eyes widened in recognition of Lance's Garrison days hero, someone their whole family had heard about. Someone who was also supposed to have disappeared, just like Lance, Hunk, and Pidge. He was a wild card, someone who didn't really have a connection to the rest of them.

And if anyone knew what it was like to have the Galra mess around with your head, it would be Shiro.

The black paladin knelt down next to Theo, who seemed too shocked to do anything. "I know it's hard, believe me, I've been exactly where you are. I was a Galra captive, too. But you can't let them win. You're going to have to start trusting your senses again. Does this really seem like something the Galra would create?"

Theo shook his head. "You could be fake, too."

"You know I'm not," Shiro said gently, "And neither are they." He looked over to Lance and half-smiled as he turned back to Theo. "Your brother is a hero, and I know for a fact that he didn't mean to hurt you or the rest of your family. It's the last thing he would want to do."

A couple tears slid down Theo's cheek. "My brother's dead."

"Theo," Shiro said, shaking his head, "He's right there. He wasn't lying when he said he got on a lion robot and ended up in space, and he came here to get you because he couldn't stand the thought of losing you."

"We need to leave soon so we can join the fight in your system," Allura said, breaking into the conversation, "I'm sorry, but we can't chance—"

"What system? What fight?" Isaia asked, frowning at her, "What are you talking about?"

"Bro, don't freak out," Hunk started.

"What's going on?" Isaia demanded.

"Um, well, there are some Galra forces who are trying to attack Earth, but we're going to stop them before they do any damage—"

"Are you serious?!" Isaia shouted. "We have to go, we have to go."

Josie went rigid. "Mama and Daddy…"

"They're going to be all right," Lance said firmly. He looked over at Theo, trying to get him to look him in the eyes. "Theo, can you just come with us for now? Even if you don't believe us, it's got to be better than staying here." Anything to convince him to go, to leave with them without losing it. He still wanted to hug him just like he was hugging Josie, but he was trying to understand where Theo was coming from. How hard it would be to accept this rescue. "Please?"

Instead of agreeing, Theo flicked his eyes to Shiro. "Are you going too?"

"Yeah, I am," Shiro said, standing up. "We're all going."

After a moment, Theo nodded. "I'll go."

Lance's heart clenched. Did Theo trust Shiro more than him? Okay, um, he could deal with that. In his hold, Josie hugged one of his arms. Yeah, it was totally fine...


End file.
